


Consume the Darkness, Return it to Light

by Kiri_Kaitou_Clover



Series: Reincarnated Hearts [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Minor Crossover), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Contains OCs for some reincarnations, Crossover, M/M, Reincarnation, Slash, Will add more characters as they are revealed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-18
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2018-02-14 02:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 71,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2174661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiri_Kaitou_Clover/pseuds/Kiri_Kaitou_Clover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the Wizarding World, reincarnation was relatively unknown. But Harry is one, and so are a few others. So who were they? And how are they going to change the Wizarding World as we know it? Warning! May contain slash and some character bashing.<br/>(Re-post from Fanfiction.net. The omake from chapter 8 and new anniversary chapter have been re-posted as separate stories under the series Reincarnated Hearts)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Scattered Dream, But a Far Off Memory

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Harry Potter in any way. If I did, Kairi would be completely out of the picture. So would Ginny. But since that can't happen, I don't own it!

**Chapter 1: A Scattered Dream, But a Far Off Memory**

Harry woke up with a start, throat hoarse from the screaming he had done. As he panted, trying to regain his breath, Harry looked around the room and ensured that Ron was still snoring away. Sighing in relief that he hadn't woken the red head or anyone else in the house (Remus and Sirius in particular, considering their sharp hearing) with his screams, he muttered out, "They're getting worse..."

They, referred to his dreams. Dreams about _cedricmothergreenlightdementorsdeath_. But those were more recent. Even before his fourth year, he would often wake up to his own screams that were result of his strange nightmarish dreams, 'Or were they memories?' as Harry often wondered, of darkness, keys, a graveyard (Voldemort's resurrection didn't help with that), maddened orange eyes, light fading, and a sky. A sky that sat on a white throne, sleeping so soundly and about to be filled with darkness. Harry never did understand why he screamed the loudest for the last so often, screams that were often laden with fear and desperation.

But with those nightmares came good dreams. Dreams of a sunny island, a star shaped fruit, of wooden swords, play fighting, jealousy, and sitting on a beach staring at the wide open sky as stars fell. Dreams of a person he spent the most time with, one with sky blue eyes shining with light, laughter and love, bringing warmth and joy to his heart. Dreams of those same blue eyes shedding happy tears while hugging him like his life depended on it.

The dreams had been oddly active during his most recent stay with the Dursleys, leading to his 'uncle' (Harry used the term loosely. He never did consider the man family.) banging on the door to his room whenever his screams forced them awake. But the Dementor attack on him just made it worse, since the memories brought forth weren't those of his mother's death or those of the graveyard, but those of his dreams, in particular the one about the white throne. The feelings of helplessness, and the feelings of rage. Some how, he was able to push back the Dementor using a Patronus, but for some reason, the happy memory that brought it forth were those of the blue eyed sky.

Before Harry could comprehend what had occurred, Mrs Figg had appeared and taken him back to the Dursleys, he almost gets expelled, and days later, was retrieved and brought to Sirius' home. Rather upset about the information blackout and still sleep deprived, Harry had lost his temper with both Ron and Hermione, scaring them both. It was only thanks to the twins that he managed to calm down, knowing that he could depend on the two. And that was before he attempted to ask for some information on the on goings of the Order of the Phoenix. He fully relaxed when both Sirius and Remus gave _some_ of the news he had been trying to find during the time at the Dursleys. It wasn't much, but he understood that with Voldemort laying low, he wouldn't have attempted to broadcast that he was alive.

With that, his first few days in Grimmauld Place passed by relatively fast…

At least before this recent bout of nightmares.

* * *

Fed up with his dreams messing up with sleep cycle, Harry quietly made his way to Buckbeak's room, knowing the hippogriff's presence would keep most of the Order members outside of Moody, Sirius and Remus out of the room. He hoped that he would be comforted in the presence of Buckbeak, that his dreams would not disturb him once he closed his eyes. However, Harry had not expected Sirius to be sleeping in the room, let alone wake up when he heard the soft closing of the door.

"Hn… Harry? What are you… *yawn* still doing up?" Sirius mumbled sleepily as he stretched from where he had been sleeping, which was underneath one of Buckbeak's wings.

Blushing over the fact that he had been caught, Harry just looked to the side and mumbled that he had been having nightmares. His godfather gave him an understanding look and helped Harry settle himself under Buckbeak's other wing, the hippogriff opening one eye before returning to sleep once they stopped moving his wings, curling his wings around the two.

Harry, knowing that Sirius would end up asking him about his dreams in the morning, closed his eyes as he heard the dog animagus fall back to sleep, resolving himself to telling the man about the dreams when they both awoke.

* * *

The next morning led to the whole house scrambling in search of Harry, with only Remus having some idea as to where he was, but he was not telling them any time soon. The ruckus woke the two in Buckbeak's room, and a rather irate Harry yelled at them all for making so much noise in the morning. In the end, only Sirius, Remus and the twins were able to approach him after his outburst, never asking where he had been the entire night.

Of course, the conversation with Fred and George consisted of going through prank ideas and wondering about who the Marauders were (Harry tried to hide his snickers at the rather pale look Remus and Sirius had when they overheard that topic). But when they made their way into Buckbeak's room, Harry was rather startled when their normally cheerful faces turned serious.

"Sorry about herding you here, Harry – "

"But we needed to get you some where that we could have a private chat."

"Hope you don't mind."

Harry just looked on in confusion as Fred ensured that no one else was following them before locking the door and George cast a privacy spell. Harry sighed, "Okay, why is it that you need to talk to me? It's not about the shop right?"

"Nope, not really," said Fred.

"But it does concern you," continued George, pointing at him. Harry just gestured the two to explain.

"It wasn't something we were fully aware of until third year…"

"But… please be wary of Ron and Ginny."

"Their intentions to be exact!"

"Those two have been obsessed with fame and fortune since they were kids – "

"And we know for a fact that having been told stories about you didn't help. Ginny's obsessed with marrying you."

"Your fourth year was a good example of how Ron normally is when fame comes into play – "

"A jealous, bullying, prat."

"We care for you like a brother,"

"So we just wanted to warn you to be careful what you do around them, 'kay?"

Harry stared at the two, wondering if it was yet another joke. But he had been friends with them for the past few years, plus, unlike their brother, stayed supportive of him despite whatever was said about him. He knew Fred and George would not lie to him about something like this. Nodding at the two, Harry thanked them, "While I'm a little confused as to what brought this about, I'll take your warning into consideration. I'll be careful."

Grinning at each other, Fred and George turned to Harry replied as one, "Just ask as if you need any help!"

The two then made their way out of the room, ending the privacy spell, the foxy grins plastered on their face causing the Order member that were in the house to become wary.

Harry sighed, filing the way the warning the twins just gave him and made a mental note to check if Ron had been acting oddly during the past few years. He then left the room and headed to the Black family library, knowing that Sirius would be there hiding away from the rest of the Order (Again. He barely interacted with anyone outside Remus, the twins, Hermione, and Harry himself!).

Apparently it was a good thing they were in the library at the time. Harry told Sirius about his memory like dreams and surprisingly enough, Sirius actually recognised the pattern somewhat. Remus, who had walked in on their conversation earlier, seemed to recognize it as well, only to keep his mouth shut when Sirius mentioned a book explaining the entire situation within the library itself, rather surprised by Sirius' knowledge of the topic as well.

* * *

 _ **Past Dreams, How to deal with Reincarnation**_. Reincarnation. Was his godfather crazy? Reincarnation didn't exist! Or did it? Harry decided to indulge the man, only to find that the book that Sirius gave him clearly listed the signs of having been reincarnated, particularly reoccurring dreams that felt more like memories.

Further reading indicated that there was a way for his past self to merge with him, giving him the abilities and form of his past self. The book itself mentioned that Gringotts was one of the places that still knew how to perform the ritual that merged past and present selves. Knowing he still needed more information on what would happen to him after the ritual (It wasn't written in the book, oddly enough.), he managed to sneak out of Grimmauld Place with Sirius and Remus' help, with Fred and George providing cover with a storm of pranks that triggered every few minutes.

The goblins were informative. They were quite surprised (And suspicious, they never liked to trust wizards with such information) that he was inquiring about reincarnation, but once he mentioned that he had been having a large number of odd dreams unrelated to his current self even before he began Hogwarts, they took the matter more seriously. Reincarnation was rare, and ever regaining memories of their past life in the form of dreams was even rarer. They did mention that they found it odd that cases of reincarnation had been happening quite often recently, hence their distrust at first. Harry then asked what happened to those people after the ritual and the goblins assured Harry that fully regaining those memories did not push the memories of their current life to the back of his mind.

He returned to Grimmauld Place just as the chaos settled, allowing him to sneak back in unnoticed. Harry went over the information with Sirius, Remus and the twins, hoping for some of their opinions on the topic. Harry would have been disadvantaged if the nightmares continued to cause him to loose sleep, and Fred and George pointed out that if he did merge with his past self, he would gain the entire repertoire of spells his past self had in his arsenal. Both Sirius and Remus warned him that his appearance would change (Both looked at each other confused at how the other even knew that but kept quiet.), but Harry felt that would have been a relief. He hated being identified so easily in the Wizarding World.

A few days later, two days before his trail, Harry made his way back to Gringotts (This time relying on a Polyjuiced Sirius to hide his disappearance.) and requested that his memories be fully unlocked. The process itself would take three long hours, but in the end, Harry felt that it would be worth it. Harry then slipped into a deep sleep, signalling the beginning of the ritual that would merge his past and present selves.


	2. Ritual of Awakening, Aftermath and Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own the series Kingdom Hearts or Harry Potter, or else KH will go through anime worlds instead of Disney, and HP will have more forms of magic available!

**Chapter 2: Ritual of Awakening, Aftermath and Surprises**

Even in though he was sure he had been put to sleep, Harry found it strange that he was floating aimlessly in a dark space, dark clouds, some flickering with signs of lightning, hovering above him. He ended up floating head first into one of the clouds, and a glimpse of Sirius' rescue flashed in front of him. Harry blinked in surprise.

"Huh, my memories are represented by storm clouds? Funny. Bad ones must be the clouds that look like lightning's about to flash down," he muttered as he floated out of the cloud, face damp. Then it happened.

A wave of glowing bubbles started accending from below him, floating up to fill the darkness that surrounded him. Taking a look at one of them, he was surprised to see one of the dream like memories within the bubble. Understanding that it was his past self's memories, he knew it would not be a good idea to attempt to pop the bubble lest he lose that memory.

Instead, he began to sort the memories. The Ritual only brought his memories forward and changed him physically. According to the goblins, it was up to him to sort them properly. He blinked when white clouds appeared above him while the memory bubbles floated around him. Taking one of the bubbles containing a happy memory (It was glowing sky blue, like that boy's eyes!), he brought it towards the white cloud and slowly, the white cloud turned dark, a sky blue glow surrounding it. He then took one bubble with an eerie black glow and did the same, and the cloud once again turned dark, this time, with a rumbling of thunder as the black glow settled around the cloud. Seeing the pattern, Harry began to slowly sort each of the bubbles into their clouds.

It was at the end of the sorting process that he came across a crack that let small whisps of a Adava Kadavra green mist. Allowing himself to float towards it, Harry gave a snarl when he realised that the mist contained the images of that corridor he had been seeing once every few nights. The sudden surge of emotion though, triggered a rush of purplish black and bluish white, both wrapping around the mist and forcing it back through the crack. Harry felt a sudden surge of throbbing pain as the mist was slowly forced out.

Then the black wave reared back and slammed into the crack, and black flames began licking out of the entrance of the crack. The suddeness of it all caused Harry to scream out in pain, feeling the effects, oddly enough. A second scream echoed along side him, slowly getting softer as the blueish white wave sealed the cracks once the black wave exited it, leaving nothing but black where the crack once was.

As the pain ebbed, Harry collapsed, darkness taking him as his memories were fully integrated in him.

* * *

When Riku,  _'Harry,' he had to remind himself,_  woke up, it was to a searing pain on his forehead, right where his scar was. Rubbing the area, he turned to one of the goblins that were cleaning up the runes that made up the Ritual of Awakening, and asked, "I thought the ritual was supposed to be painless. What happened?"

The goblin stopped his work to look at him in surprise before saying, "At some point during the ritual you started screaming. We almost stopped the ritual right there. It was a second scream that made us decide not to stop the ritual, a scream originating from your scar."

Riku  _'Harry! Darn it, I'm going to have to get used to this!'_  raised his eyebrow at this statement, and asked, "My scar?"

The goblin just sighed, "I don't know who was crazy enough to split his soul seven times, but some how, some way, your scar became a horcrux. This is the first time we've seen a living horcrux, but for some reason, during the Ritual of Awakening, that soul piece was destroyed by what looked like dark fire."

At the mention of a split soul, Harry's  _'Oh to the Darkness with this. I'll refer myself as Riku but still answer to Harry.'_ memories of his second year immediately came to the front of his mind, memories of him driving a basilisk fang into a diary, with a younger Voldemort screaming curses at him as what seemed to be a shade of his memory faded away.

 _'Crap,'_  Riku thought, paling at the revelation, before thinking through further and deciding, ' _Better keep this to myself as a trump card should I need it.'_

The goblin whom he spoke to before then questioned, "Do you wish to take a test to see what magics you have inherited from your previous life? Judging by the reflexive conjuring of that dark fire in your unconscious state, they may be quite powerful."

Riku just looked at him and agreed, "Why not? It's not like I will truly be able to know what magics I have retained from my previous life unless I do the test."

"That would cost you 10 galleons in addition of the 30 galleons for the Ritual of Awakening, thus coming to a total of 40 galleons." The goblin declared, giving Riku a toothy grin as the boy shook his head, thinking,  _'Why, I am not surprised that they would demand payment for this.'_

As the boy got up, he saw a nearby mirror and decided to take a look at the changes in his appearance. He was surprised by the change in height for one. He had been shorter as Harry, but now that both of them had merged, Riku had grown taller. The other surprise was his hair, which had straightened out and taken on Riku's former silver hair color, with streaks of black intermingling with them. His eyes had not changed much, while it had gained a slightly bluish tint, under the right lighting, it still looked emerald green. Internally, the part that was Harry was relieved that his eyes had not changed much as it was the only thing that remained of his mother. Though, he realised he would not need his glasses anymore, as his horrid eyesight had somehow repaired itself during the ritual. The last change, of course, was the rapidly fading lighting shaped scar on his fore head.

 _'Wow, I really doubt most people would recognise me as Harry Potter anymore with this many changes to my appearance,'_  Riku thought while imagining the reactions of those people when he told them he was Harry Potter, before chuckling under his breath.

Another goblin, seeing that he had gotten used to the changes in his appearance, quickly ushered him to another room within Gringotts, before setting down an empty parchment on the table

"What's this for?" Riku questioned, confused as to what they were about to do.

"Oh this? I need you to add a few drops of blood to the parchment. Its been specially made to reveal any magical abilities you have aquired when blood is applied," The goblin explained, urging Riku to do it as quickly as possibly, handing him a small knife.

Taking the knife, Riku lightly cut his finger, and let the blood drip onto the parchment. As the blood soaked into the parchment, words started to appear revealling to him information on his newly aquired magical abilities

Name: Harry James Potter(Formerly Riku Reimei)  
Age: 16 (Soul Age: Unknown)  
Current Wand: 11 inches, Holly, Phoenix Feather (Due to changes in magical core, current wand is no longer suitable for spell casting)  
Core: Even split between light and dark. (Has changed from originally light core. May require wand replacement)  
Abilities:  
Wizarding Magic(Partial to DADA and Dark Arts, no mastery in any)  
Parsel Magic (Magical Inheritance through Tom Marvolo Riddle's Horcrux)  
Ability to summon Keyblade (Inherited from Keyblade Wielder Terra)  
Enhanced Physical Capabilities  
One-Handed Sword Fighting (FULLY MASTERED)  
Dark Elemental Magic (FULLY MASTERED)  
Elemental Magic(All forms, no mastery in any)  
Light Magic (FULLY MASTERED)  
Wandless Magic Manipulation (FULLY MASTERED)  
Balance of Light and Darkness (FULLY MASTERED)  
Recognised Keyblade Master (Trained and Recognised by Master Yen Sid)

It was a short list, but it summed up Riku's abilities and Harry's abilities perfectly. Though, he was surprised that his current wand no longer suited him.  _'Maybe I should go to Olivander's to understand why,'_ Riku contemplated.

Before he got up to leave, the goblin stopped him, and reminded him, "Mister Potter? Payment?"

Blushing at forgetting something so obvious, Riku took out his money pouch, only to realise there was not enough Galleons in it. Turning to the goblin, he asked, "Is it possible to make the payment straight from the vault? I don't have enough money on me at the moment."

Sneering at his carelessness, the goblin replied, "Yes you can make a payment from the vault, just give me the key."

Mentally relieved that Sirius had manage to swipe his key away from Mrs Weasley, Riku handed the goblin the key. However...

"This is a copy! Mister Potter shouldn't you have the real key with you?"

At those words, Riku just looked at the goblin in surprise, and said, "But this is the only key I have."

The goblin's eye's immediately widened, mouthing out loud 'only?' before cursing in it's own language, before informing Riku, "The original should never have left your hands! And what do you mean that's your only key?! You should have had the keys with you even as a child! I'll alert the goblins in charge of your vaults to destroy the missing keys and any copies and issue you new ones." The goblin then took the key it had and destroyed it with its own magic. "We'll give you the new key before you leave this bank. I assume you are using your trust vault for this?"

Riku, still rather taken aback that he orignally had several vaults and was missing all their keys, quickly said yes. He was led out of the office and back to the main hall, and snapped out of his shocked daze as he was handed his new set of keys by a goblin that Riku definitely recognised. "We've already taken out payment for the ritual from the vault. Don't loose this set, since this will be the only time we replace the keys for you!" The goblin then immediately stalked off muttering about careless wizards.

Riku looked at the goblin before shouting at it with a slight smirk on his face, " Thanks, Griphook!" and tried his best not to snicker as the goblin turned around in complete shock at being thanked. Reactions from the other patrons to the bank were just as funny. Hiding his face to stiffle his laughter, Riku walked out of the bank, and headed to Olivanders, where he would hopefully find a wand more compatible with him, and understand why his holly wand would no longer work for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reimei means Dawn - Way to Dawn is Riku's signature keyblade, hence I use that name as his surname.
> 
> Please read and comment!!!


	3. Wands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone asks, there's a reason why I didn't go into the by now clichéd plot idea of Dumbledore stealing of Harry's money straight away during the previous chapter. 1. Its overdone. 2. Riku is way more Slytherin than Harry ever was, so he won't reveal the fact that he has the upper hand just yet. There will be some mention of this in this chapter 3. Riku is the type to silently brood over the facts that he is given, or discuss it with someone he trusts.
> 
> I added two more people to my list of reincarnated people. They played a part in the KH world but never got a chance to meet each other, despite coming from the same series. Let me say this: One can become his nickname and the other can now turn into the animal he has obsessed about. I was about to place their confrontation in this chapter when I realised this chapter was going to end up quite long, so I decided to put that bit in another chapter. This is one is Riku centric again. The two other reincarnations are appearing in their own chapter, i.e. a slight interlude before going back to Riku.
> 
> Disclaimer: Do I have to say it again? *Sigh* I don't own KH or HP.

_**Chapter 3: Wands** _

It was awfully easy getting to Ollivanders' unnoticed. Harry no longer looked like his former self, hence easily blended in with the crowd. Silver hair, while uncommon, was easily written off as a metamorphmagus ability or a mishap with the colour changing charm.

As Riku made it out of the crowd and into Ollivanders', he immediately took care of his surroundings. Similar to his first visit, boxes lined the shelves in the shops, each, as Riku now knew, containing a different wand.

"This place hasn't changed much," Riku muttered as he looked around.

"Of course it would not have, Mister Potter. You, however have changed greatly since your first visit here."

At voice, Riku jumped in surprise, reflexively summoned the Way to Dawn and pointed it in the voice's direction. What he saw though was not an enemy, but Mr Ollivander, the man's two hands in a placating gesture. With that Riku relaxed and dismissed his Keyblade, saying to the man, "Sir, please don't scare me like that, I could have hurt you."

Ollivander just gave a knowing smile, and replied, "But you wouldn't, since you would need me to make you a new wand, young Keyblade Master."

Riku quirked an eyebrow at the old man's knowledge of the Keyblade, but decided not to question why and how he had such information. Instead, he decided to ask, "How did you know I needed a new wand, sir? I didn't even say anything about it."

Ollivander just took his measuring tape and let it measure out every part of Riku's body, and said while taking out boxes of wands, "The only time one would be in need of a new wand is when they have broken their wand to the point it cannot be repaired, or when their magical core has gone through a sudden change that their magical orientation would no longer suit their current wand. Your need is due to the latter." He stops the measuring tape wandlessly, and places down the boxes of wands he gathered.

"So why am I no longer compatible with my wand?" asked Riku.

"Young man, a holly and phoenix feather core wand is a strongly light oriented wand. Your core during your first trip to my shop was just that."

"And now?"

"Now? Now it's an odd mixture of both light and dark, with darkness being slightly dominant to the light. Your wand will not work for any core with darkness in it. Now tell me, is your wand hand still the same?"

"Yes?"

"Try this 13", ash, dragon heartstring, slightly pliant"

A wave. *CRASH! BANG!*

"Not this one, here. 12", hawthorn and dragon heart string, springy."

Another wave. *ZAP!*

"Not that one either…"

An hour later…

"Hmm, so far the only compatible wand wood is vinewood. Maybe with a more exotic core… Aha! Here, try this. 13" vinewood with basilisk scale core, unyielding," said Ollivander as he shoved said wand into Riku's hand.

Waving the wand, Riku felt a slight tug on his magic, and the results were surprising. Instead of the violent reactions he had been getting with all the other wands, small little flickers of light and specks of darkness floated around him. Ollivander was just as surprised, muttering out, "Curious."

Riku just turned to him and inquired, "What's so curious?"

The man just shook his head and replied, "I thought your wand would be a more balanced one, with no preference to light or dark, similar to your magical core. While this was the case for your wand wood, the core is more suited for darker magics than anything."

Ollivander continued explaining, "That particular wand was passed to me my grandfather, who had been given a piece of basilisk skin by a group of hunters. He forged that particular wand. A wand suited for one whose personality has hidden depths and dark pasts that they have overcome, he told me."

' _Hidden depths and dark pasts huh? I guess my overprotective side for my friends and my inner darkness counts as that,'_  Riku thought, before asking Ollivander, "How much do I owe you?"

"Since the wand is to replace your old one, 8 galleons. I suggest you keep your old wand. Who knows, someone might be more compatible to it than you are!"

Paying the old man and taking note of his advice, Riku nodded the man goodbye, before making his way out of Diagon Alley and back to Grimmauld Place, hoping to get back in unnoticed.

' _I hope the Polyjuice potion the twins made for Sirius is holding up…'_  Riku thought, grimacing at the possibility of being found out or being yelled at by Mrs Weasely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read and Comment!!!


	4. In the Background 1: Puppy and Chocobo, Reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: TO HELL WITH THIS! JUST REFER TO THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS FOR THE DISCLAIMER! ISN'T IT OBVIOUS I DON'T OWN THE RESPECTIVE SERIES?! … … Whoops. Did it anyway.

**In the Background 1: Puppy and Chocobo, Reunited**

_Back at No 12, Grimmauld Place,_

"What is taking Harry so long? He said he'd be back in about four hours!" Sirius, having been Polyjuiced to look like Harry, grumbled to Remus, who was laughing at the man's predicament. "It's a miracle they haven't figured out Harry's missing yet and it's me under Polyjuice!"

"Well you did make a big ruckus about wanting to be left alone by the rest of our current house mates. They all assumed that you are holed up in Buckbeak's room," Remus replied, before teasing him cheekily, "I didn't think you would know what to do when Harry came to you for advice. I was actually going to say something to him regarding the subject but you pulled him into the library before I could. Looks like you do have some knowledge there in that head of yours!"

At that, the Polyjuiced Sirius snorted, and replied, "The only reason I knew about that book was because I experienced the same things as Harry did when I was in 5th year. It was the other reason why I even ran to James in the first place! My core had changed from a dark core with capability of light magic to a light core with little to no ability to use dark magic. My mother would have killed me if she ever found out!" Then thinking back to what Remus said, Sirius turned to question him, "And what about you? How do you know about reincarnation? It's Pureblood only knowledge!"

Remus just smiled sadly, "I had been given the full brunt of memory like dreams right after I got bitten and turned into a werewolf. During first year, I looked through the library for any information on such dreams, since they were a lot more frequent than those who did not have possible means to trigger the memories from surfacing. I stumbled upon a book detailing about the type of dreams one could get one day. That book gave information on how strong detailed and interconnecting dreams were often memories of past lives and how to bring those memories fully to the surface. One trip to Gringotts did the trick."

Sirius just blinked at the new information he received and said, "Huh. You learn something new everyday. So how did you hide this from us? No glamor charm would be perfect in hiding changes in appearance."

"You first," Remus countered.

Sighing, Sirius relented and explained, "Fine. I used magic to change my hairstyle and got coloured contacts. My hair was originally naturally spiked backwards and my eyes were blue in colour. The rest was a permanent glamor charm set for the face casted on my contact lenses. Had to take them off before taking the Polyjuice though"

"My turn. I did the same as you for the hair, and had a permanent glamor charm casted on an earring I keep in my pockets set for my face as well. My hair, like yours, was naturally spiked, and blond instead of brown. As for my eyes, they were naturally blue, but because of my werewolf side, the eye color bled through and turned it green."

Blinking again at the description, Sirius wondered out loud, "Wonder why Moody didn't mention it. He didn't say anything about mine 'cause I told him when I joined the Aurors. He pretty much kept hexing me till I explained, that paranoid bastard."

The werewolf just laughed, "So that's why he was not surprised when I told him about reincarnation during the first war! The book and Gringotts goblins mentioned it was rare, but I wasn't expecting the two of us and Harry to be reincarnations!"

Sirius just grinned widely as Remus laughed.

However, when Remus opened his eyes from the laughter, he stopped laughing. Instead his eyes widened and Remus gasped in shock, staring at Sirius' left cheek before looking carefully at his face, as if Remus had seen a ghost. Sirius, curious as to why his friend started acting like that, questioned, "Remus? Is there something on my face? Did the potion wear off?" At that last question he hurriedly looked for the bottle containing the Polyjuice, only for Remus to make him freeze as he said a name with complete shock in his voice. A name he only heard his friends from his past call him by.

"Zack?"

Sirius stood stock still at that.

"Zack? That is you right? Please speak to me!"

At those words, Sirius made an animalistic growl at Remus, the side of him that was his animagus form leaking through to his human side, "Glamor. Off. Right now."

Remus, with a strange look on his face, undid the spell on his hair. He also slowly reached into his right pant pocket, took out an earring shaped like a wolf's head holding another ring in its mouth, and tossed it to the other side of the room. The glamor immediately fell.

Sirius' jaw dropped. In front of him, Chocobo hairstyle and all, was the one friend he never thought he'd see again. After his first reincarnation without finding him, the former First Class Soldier had almost given up all hope of finding the blond when he had been reincarnated for the second time. Staring at him, he whispered out, "Chocobo-head?"

*Bam!*

"OW! Cloud! What was that for?!" Sirius complained while rubbing his head.

Remus just put away the frying pan ( _Sirius: Where did you get that from…_ ) that he had used to hit Sirius on the head, huffing in annoyance, "Not a chocobo, Zack! I've told you time and time again that I hate that nickname."

Inwardly though, Remus was smiling at the familiarity of their argument. When he saw the scar on Sirius' face appearing as the Polyjuice potion wore off, he had though he was dreaming. But when his eyes shifted from the scar to the rest of the face, the Polyjuice had worn off, and in front of him was puppy he could never find in his last life even though the flower girl had ended up in the same world he had ended up in. Between fighting Sephiroth, running away from Tifa and helping the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee clear the world from Heartless and Nobodies, Cloud rarely had any free time. When he did though, he would spend days scouring the worlds for the puppy. He had found evidence of him at Olympus Coliseum, where Zack had placed as one of the few competitors, but not once did he ever reappear in that world. Like Zack, he had almost given up hope with his second reincarnation.

*Bok!* "OW! Cloud!"

Remus blushed slightly when he realised he had reflexively whacked Sirius on the head again, this time with a struggle bat that he had conjured, when the man had tried to glomp him.

"Zack, take the Polyjuice already! We'll catch up later! I don't want anyone to come in and see us like–" And Remus' nagging was interrupted by the door slamming open.

"Sirius! Quickly switch with… me?"

A shocked black and silver haired teen, stood at the door way, hand in the middle of removing an invisibility cloak as he stared at the two men. Recognising the voice, Sirius, shocked at how the boy looked so similar to Sephiroth, squeaked out his question, "Harry?!"

"Who? Wait, that voice! Sirius?! What the hell!" Harry just screeched in surprise, then his gaze turned to the only blond in the room before reacting even more surprised. "Cloud?!"

In response, Remus could react as calmly as he could, even if he was just as surprised as the rest of them, "Riku? You were reincarnated as Harry?"

Sirius, becoming even more surprised, shouted, "Wait, you two know each other?! How?!"

Well, this little gathering is becoming extremely awkward…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made it really obvious in the previous chapter who the reincarnations were this time a round. I was really upset when I saw Zack, but no Cloud, Sephiroth, Angeal, or Genesis while I watched cutscenes of KH:BBS. I was like, "Wait! Why aren't the other four there?!" KH does not give the Final Fantasy characters any reason as to why they ended up in the worlds they were in. Tidus, Selphie, Leon, Cid, Yuffie, Cloud, and EVEN Aerith! None of them made references to their own game or their pasts. In KH3D, this was explained for the TWEWY gang. Hell! There were major spoilers for non TWEWY players when Josh used his wings! His F***ING WINGS!
> 
> Huff, huff…
> 
> Okay enough ranting. This chapter, and chapters introducing characters not important to the storyline other than for amusement, because I wanted them to have a chance to be reincarnated, or emotional support of the main players of this fanfiction i.e. Sora and Riku, are going to be known as "In the Background"s. They shall cover mainly how they went through their reincarnation process, or in this case, talk it out. They will be slightly long, but will be important for the plot as it progresses. Because Zack and Cloud are here, Riku's emotional support base has started, and so has Sora's. They will be advice givers and… I won't say anymore for the sake of spoiling the rest of the plot I have laid out. Note though: There will be one exception to this case because of his further involvement in the plot. I won't say who though.
> 
> READ AND COMMENT!!!
> 
> (Psst! Btw, Harry's old personality leaked through in this chapter. And did you know that in the previous chapter, Zack and Cloud almost stole the show? Their parts was an on the spot decision and literally wrote itself out! So I cut that part out and placed it in this "In the Background" chapter.)


	5. Revelations and the Musings of a Muggleborn Witch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer is in the first three chapters. Look there.
> 
> Warning! Slight Dumbles, Molly, Ron and Ginny bashing this chapter! (Not much though. I try to keep bashing to a minimum. To the point that it's barely noticeable.)

**Chapter 4: Slight Revelations and the Musings of a Muggleborn Witch.**

_12 Grimmauld Place, Buckbeak's room_

Riku was extremely annoyed.

When he got back from his little trip to Diagon Alley, he expected to see Sirius in his Polyjuiced form and Remus in Buckbeak's room. Instead there was a long, spikey, black haired, blue eyed man, and another man with blond hair and blue eyes, who he recognised as Cloud, someone who Sora had considered an older brother.

He almost went into shock when he heard Sirius' voice coming from the other man and seeing Cloud did not help since the man had tried to kill him more than once for "Trying to taint his little brother". Riku had screeched out in surprise at all this, some of Harry's personality leaking through.

Now though, everything had been explained. Sirius was Zack, who was Cloud's mentor in their original world. What was annoying was how the man had started bouncing around like a puppy. Beside him, Cloud, who had explained he had been reincarnated into Remus, just face palmed in both annoyance and embarrassment.

Wondering what had elicited that sort of reaction from the werewolf, Riku decided to ask, "Cloud? Did Sir – I mean Zack do this often back on your world?"

Cloud just groaned, and said, "Yes… It was way worse when he was hyped up on sugar or on this world, butterbeer."

Riku sweat dropped at that, thinking,  _'Can someone even get hyper on butterbeer? Then again, this is Sirius were talking about…'_

Cloud then continued, "Anyways, lets just wait for him to get that energy out of his system. In the mean time, how was your trip to Diagon Alley?"

Riku then carefully explained the details of what happened during and after the ritual, with Cloud interrupting a certain points to make comments or ask questions. He mentioned the soul piece (Remus: Horcruxes are the foulest of magics. Doesn't surprise me You-Know-Who would use dark methods to extend his life), his additional abilities (Remus: I myself retained some of the magic Merlin taught us, plus my SOLDIER enhancements), his need for a new wand, and the situation with the bank.

Surprisingly, Zack stopped bouncing around when he mentioned that the key that he stole was not even the real key. Instead the man sat down in front of Riku and listened carefully to what he said the goblins told him. By the end of the explanation, Zack had begun growling lowly about stupid old men and thieves. He then said to Riku "Harry, Dumbledore was the one who gave Molly that key, if I'm right. That means that it is possible that he has been stealing from your vaults in disguise of withdrawing the money on your be–"

Riku just raised his hand, and interrupted Zack, "I know, Zack. I gathered this much when the goblins told me about it. What's worse is that the old man was behind most of the major incidences during my past four years at Hogwarts. He should have destroyed the Sorcerer's Stone when he knew of Voldemort's interest in it in the beginning of first year. He should have noticed that a dark artefact had made its way into the school early in second year. He could have just asked us to give us our memories of third year regarding Wormtail. Lastly, he should have noticed Crouch Jr. disguised as Moody!"

At the end of the rant, Riku buried his face in his hands, and started grumbling, "That way I would not have gotten this stupid hero complex and lived a somewhat normal school year… Damn old man and his manipulations… Sora's the hero, not me! Argh! How did Sora deal with this?!"

Cloud and Zack just chuckled as the Riku started another rant about Sora's slight hero complex and how Harry's hero complex was just as bad during the first four years. Then Zack realised how similar Riku was to someone both he and Cloud knew.

"You know, he reminds me of Seph whenever he ranted about Genesis' drama queen act. Don't you agree Cloud?"

Cloud just laughed at Zack's statement. He then looked at the clock that was on the wall of the room and blinked in surprise before resting a hand on Riku's shoulder, interrupting his rant. Riku just looked at him annoyed.

"Don't look at me like that young man. Your rants were getting tiresome, and we have to leave the room now before any one gets too suspicious, since it's almost dinner," Cloud explained to Riku while giving him a stern look.

As soon as he finished that sentence, a voice cut through the air. "Harry! Come down, its dinner time! Also Remus, Black! I know you're in Buckbeak's room with him so come down for dinner as well!"

Riku and Zack just looked at each other before laughing, while Cloud just pouted since he knew it was him they were laughing at. Putting on the items that held their permanent glamor charm in place, Sirius and Remus stood where Zack and Cloud once were. Riku though, decided to forgo the glamor and leave his appearance as it is. At the raised eyebrow from both Sirius and Remus, Riku just said, "I could always say that I hid the changes under a glamor charm until today when I decided I would not bother with it anymore. It would explain my so called outburst that led me to hide in Buckbeak's room the whole day."

Accepting the explanation the three made their way down the stairs and into the dining room while carefully avoiding the portrait of Sirius' mother.

* * *

**(AN: For the sake of Hermione, Riku is going to be referred too as Harry. This is only until Harry explains his situation, which will happen later.)**

When Harry finally came out of Buckbeak's room, Hermione had been surprised to see how much his appearance had changed in such a short time. Gone was the messy rat's nest that used to be his hair. His hair was still short, but it had become straight, spiking out at the ends, and the colour of his hair had become an interesting mix of black and silver. What surprised her even more was the cold attitude he had used to regard Ron and Ginny when they tried to talk to him.

_~Flashback~_

" _Harry! What the hell did you do to your hair?!" Ginny screeched in horror at the sight of Harry's now straight and silver streaked hair._

_Harry just looked at her coldly before walking to sit in between Remus and Sirius at the other side of the dining table. Then Ron, taking offense, shouted at him, "Harry, Ginny asked you a question! Why are you ignoring her?! Heck, for Merlin's sake, why are you ignoring all of us?!"_

" _You said she asked?"_

_Everyone froze at how cold and emotionless Harry sounded, that even the other Order members who had just entered the dining room stopped in place._

" _You said I'm ignoring you?"_

_Hermione shivered at his tone of voice and knew it would be a bad idea to speak up. Ron, however, didn't seem to take a hint, and shouted back, "Yes you're ignoring us! I thought you already forgave us for withholding information earlier, are you mad at us again?!"_

_Hermione sighed in relief when Harry just smirked. It wasn't going to be another full blown shouting match like his first day in Grimmauld Place. But his next sentence made her freeze up again._

" _Of course I'm still mad at the lack of communication from my two so called 'friends'. Hence the reason I ignored all of you this afternoon. As for Ginny, she didn't ask. She screeched. Thus, it was not a valid question. But to answer it anyway…"_

_Ginny leaned forward in apprehension as Harry trailed off in the middle of his explanation before he snapped at her, "None of your damn business! You don't have any say in what I do nor should you care."_

" _Harry, don't be rude. She was only curious," Mrs Weasley reprimanded as she laid the food out on the table. However, Harry just muttered out, "I'll stop being rude when everyone stops treating me like some disabled person. I'm not that fragile."_

" _We know that Harry, now eat your dinner," Remus sighed, before covering his oversensitive ears with his hands as Tonks tripped over the umbrella stand and woke the portrait of Walburga Black yet again, her screams breaking the awkward silence that had unknowingly settled over the room._

_~Flashback end~_

Hermione was glad that Tonks' clumsiness had, for once, eased an already tense situation. But what happened next scared the wits out of everyone except Sirius and Remus for some reason.

_~Flashback~_

" _Filthy half-breeds, blood traitors, mudbloods! Oh, my ancestors would kill you all for tainting these halls with all you filth! Freaks the lot of you!" Screamed the portrait of Walburga Black. At the last statement though, the screams of disgust became screams of fear and terror as a ball of fire slammed into the side of the portrait before consuming it in flames, silencing the screams of the portrait with it._

_Everyone then turned their heads in the direction the ball of fire came from, only to find Harry with one outstretched, slightly smoking hand, the other occupied with a fork. Probably noticing the stares, Harry just looked up and frowned, before saying, "What? She was annoying me and Remus was hurting due to his sensitive hearing!"_

_~Flashback End~_

Sirius had started rolling on the floor with laughter when the portrait burst into flames. Hermione had only made out a few short sentences he had been laughing out, such as, "Never thought to set her on fire", "Fireball tag" and "Fira spell". Remus had bonked him on the head with a frying pan (Hermione: Was that from the kitchen?) and stopped his laughter before she could hear anymore, but it had her thinking.

Hermione wasn't so dumb as to blindly trust authority figures after her first year. Like Ron, she was offered money by Dumbledore to keep an eye on Harry after the end of her first year. Unlike Ron, that jealous prat, the minute Harry had saved her from that troll, she had mentally pledged her allegiance to him, hence she refused the old man's offer. She knew that Ron, Ginny and Molly Weasley had made deals with Dumbledore in exchange for money from Harry's vault. So with the way Harry had started to act, she guessed that he had begun to notice the manipulations around him.

The change in hairstyle and hair colour though, couldn't be explained by a simple visit to the hair stylist over the holidays, as Harry could not have cast a glamor charm then. Remus and Sirius were acting like nothing had changed, thus confirming that they knew what was happening to Harry. Sirius had slipped out that unknown spell's name as well. Hermione didn't understand how did Harry cast it wandlessly and why Sirius knew what it was.

Hence, Hermione knew that she was going to have to do what she did best: Research. She had to understand what was happening to him on the same level as Remus and Sirius before she could truly help Harry deal with the manipulations around him in any way. But first, she might as well find some more law books regarding trials in the Wizarding World. Better to give him some ammo to use against the biased Ministry.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I know I promised to post this chapter two weeks ago. My muse dried up with school, and SOPA, so sorry! But I've posted it, with modifications to my storyline again, thanks to a certain muggleborn witch!**

**Really thanks everyone for making their guesses! Especially you Randomperson! It really makes me happy someone enjoys my fanfiction to try to contribute to ideas. Gamma Cavy, thanks for guessing who might Axel be as well! However, I cannot answer your guess for Axel since he's appearing soon!**

**This is what I can tell you though. Including Riku, Cloud and Zack, there shall only be 10 reincarnated people from the Kingdom Hearts series, and three of them will be reincarnated into OCs. Kairi is not reincarnated in this world as she is a princess of heart, meaning she will only reincarnate in the world her heart was connected to i.e. Radiant Garden, at least in my opinion. I am not making Dumbles a reincarnation since I bashed him a little this chapter. None of the villains or known powerful wizards in the Kingdom Hearts series are to be reincarnated, as Kingdom Hearts itself has deemed the villains unworthy of such. Only one villain shall be reincarnated, and he is in that list of 10!**

**Randomperson! KEEP GUESSING! You have ONE CORRECT ANSWER! Gave you a lot of hints so have fun guessing who the remaining three characters and their reincarnations are! (Whoops! Going overboard here! Suddenly making this a guessing game!)**

**I keep putting off Axel's appearance as my chapters keep getting longer. Stupid muse. Hermione just wrote herself into this chapter, just like Zack and Cloud almost did for chapter three. Her bit is not an In the Background chapter as it describes Riku's actions from her point of view. Hence, the chapter is still Riku centric.**

**You know, with all the excitement with writing this fic I forgot to mention that this is my first time I'm writing a Harry Potter fic, and I'm going on what I remember from fics and the movies to write this out, so forgive me if its a little messy.**

**Please continue to read and review!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might want to forgive me for cutting and pasting stuff from my ffn account here. I'll post five chapters at a time to give time for you all to comment or read. Either way please read and comment!!! The next five will be up in a month, but you can go to FFn if you wish to read it so badly...


	6. Old Man's Manipulations *poof!*, Helpful Forgiven Friend, and…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer is not on this page/chapter. Go to Chapter 1 or 2 if you wish to read the disclaimer. If that is all, I hope you enjoy this installment of Consume the Darkness, Return it to Light!

**Chapter 5:** **Old Man's Manipulations *poof!*, Helpful Forgiven Friend, and…**

_Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office_

While Harry had been missing (not that anyone actually knew) and Hermione had contemplated about her friend's changes when he returned (again, not like she knew that he had gone off on his own), a certain old man was up in his office, not knowing of the chaos that was about to occur from the upheaval of several of his plans.

Dumbledore had made them the moment the prophecy had been revealed to him. He knew there were only two children born at the end of July, Neville Longbottom, and Harry Potter. Both born to those that had faced Voldemort in battle and escaped with their lives. However, Dumbledore knew that Voldemort would only consider someone like himself, a half-blood, as a potential threat. Thus that left the Potter clan as the main target. Knowing this, the old man had made plans, one to ensure the entire Potter clan was wiped out should their son be the Chosen One of prophecy, another to ensure that he would be able to hold claim to their family fortune, by proclaiming the young heir as Dark should he survive the encounter with Voldemort, killing him and claiming his vaults through right of conquest, as he would not have left a will, or have any next of kin to pass the vaults down to.

To carry out the second plan, he had to enlist helpers to try to control the boy and restrict his growth. He knew that the Weasley family were loyal to him, especially the matriarch of the clan. He had informed her of some of his plans regarding the Potter heir, and she readily agreed. When Ginerva Weasley was born, she was included in the plans, and when she was old enough to be told, became a willing participant. Ronald Weasley, he approached at the end of his first year before letting him on the plan, which, being the jealous child he was, readily agreed to it. His only regret was that the Granger girl swore she wanted no part in his plan.

As the old man pondered over his plans regarding the year (one that had already been screwed by Harry regaining memories of his past life, but Dumbles doesn't know that!), Fawkes just shook his head, trilling out a sad note. The phoenix then broke the already worn thin familiar bond before flying out of the room to find one who had a heart of fire, whose ideals were not clouded by greed and a need for power. The old man would only notice two days later, and would end up destroying his entire office in rage, completely forgetting about a trial that was supposed to take place.

* * *

_12 Grimmauld Place_

Sirius, Remus and Harry had ended up holing themselves up in the hippogriff's room for the entire day unless someone called the two adults down or when Molly Weasley called the three down for a meal. No one dared to approach. Well, no one except Hermione Granger that is.

Of course the two youngest Weasley children kept trying to dissuade her from seeing Harry throughout the day. They almost succeeded, until the twins informed her that despite Harry being so prickly about them not communicating with him, he was at least willing to try and forgive Hermione, who at least gave a somewhat reasonable explanation as to why they felt it was necessary (This though, made her wonder just how close Harry was to the twins.).

She knew that Harry would be avoiding them the whole day, so she spent it researching more on how trials in the Wizarding World were conducted, while being pestered by both Ron and Ginny. By the end of the day, Hermione was surprised by the information she had, and internally, she was fuming mad. Gathering up the few books she got from the Black Library, she snuck a look around. Noticing the sounds of Ron and Ginny complaining about cleaning, she made her way towards Buckbeak's room.

Giving the door a knock, Hermione waited as she heard the sound of someone scrambling to stand before the door opened. Harry, seeing that it was Hermione at the door, scowled before asking, "What do you want?"

Hermione just shoved the books she gathered into his hands, before saying, "I know I can't really apologise for the lack of information earlier during summer, so I'll make it up to you now."

Seeing the scowl on Harry's face recede to one of confusion, Hermione explained herself, "These books contain most of the laws regarding the Wizarding World, especially those regarding the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. They were all I could find on such short notice. I already had a look at the books though, and there are a few exceptions to the rule. I'll give you one advice for the trial though, request for Veritaserum. It'll make things much easier."

"Why?"

"Hm? Why what?" Hermione tilted her head wondering what he was asking about.

"Why help me with this?" Harry just looked at her utterly bewildered, green eyes wide and questioning. So some of her friend was still under that cold façade of his.

Hermione just sighed before explaining her actions, "You were hiding something when you came downstairs for dinner yesterday. It was obvious with the way Sirius, Remus and the twins seemed to act like things were normal." At his angered look, she hastily defended herself, "I'm not going to pry!" Another confused look. "I promised myself that I would find out what you were hiding through my own means, without pestering you for answers. I would tell you when I had an answer, and I hope you would trust me not to reveal it to others. This is my means of rebuilding our trust as friends between each other."

Harry stared at her in shock, and Hermione gave him a smile before retreating back to the library.

* * *

_12 Grimmauld Place, Buckbeak's Room_

Riku was still in shock when he turned around to face Sirius and Remus. Wondering what could have done that Sirius poked at the silver haired Keyblade Master and asked, "Harry? What happened?"

Jolting out of his shock, Riku placed the books given by Hermione down in front of the three of them. Sirius took one look at the books and exclaimed, "Wait a minute! These books are from the Black Library! I didn't even give Hermione permission to go in there!"

Hearing this, Riku just chuckled, "Guess that shows just how desperate she is to regain my trust in her, huh."

At that statement, Remus just looked at Riku curiously. Seeing the look Remus was giving him, Riku relayed the conversation he had with Hermione to the two adults while Sirius looked through the books that Hermione gave Riku to read. Riku, once he finished explaining, turned to Sirius and asked, "So? Have there been any changes to the law since these books were published?"

Sirius started laughing, causing Remus to glare at him for not taking things seriously and bring out a struggle bat from who knows where. Seeing this, Sirius stopped laughing, gulped, and tried to appease Remus, "Umm… Cloud? I'll take things seriously okay? Please don't hurt me and put the bat down?"

Remus just slowly put the bat away as he grumbled out, "Stupid Puppy."

Riku just faced-palmed at his godfather's childishness before asking him again. This time, Sirius gave a straight answer, "The books themselves are valid. What I'm more worried about is what the Ministry might pull just to get you a guilty sentence."

Remus just looked at Sirius before asking, "Zack, what are you implying?"

Sirius sighed and explained, "You both know I never got a trial before I was sent to Azkaban right?" The other two nodded, before Sirius continued on. "Crouch immediately though of me as guilty back then due to misinformation and my own mental breakdown. Similarly, Harry has been recently regarded as an insane, attention seeking brat."

Remus, at hearing the description, snorted, "Sounds like Genesis."

Riku looked at him inquiringly. Remus just gave him a look telling the boy he'd explain later. Sirius ignored the obvious interruption and continued with his explanation, "Taking this into account, it would be safe to assume that the Minister would most likely try and prevent Harry from giving any explanation to his course of actions that resulted in him breaking the law, immediately labelling him guilty."

Riku, understanding the situation, then asked, "So if I request to submit my memories to a pensive and take the Veritaserum just before the trial starts, we can pretty much prevent them from doing so, right?"

Remus nodded before adding on to Sirius' explanation, "Your cousin and his family already know about magic, which means that they are exempt from the law as they had been informed prior to you attending Hogwarts. If you add this to your testimony, plus state the reason for your actions as defence against a pair of dementors while on the Veritaserum, it would confirm your statement as true, therefore making their accusations void."

Riku then closed his eyes before making a request, "Remus, Sirius? Can you help me think up some possible scenarios that would occur during or before the trial? Also, Sirius? Is there anything else in those books we need? Because, I wish to be prepared as much as possible so as to throw any accusations the Ministry make at me back into their face."

At that last statement, Riku had a dark smirk reminiscent of Riku's Ansem possessed self on his face. To Remus and Zack, they looked on in horror as the similarities Riku had to Sephiroth continued to pile up, this one being the former General's vicious streak.

* * *

~Time Skip~

_Ministry of Magic, Court Room 10_

Riku scowled as Arthur Weasley dragged him in his hurry to get him to the hearing on time. It was a good thing he had asked his godfather and honorary uncle to drill him on situations like this.

"Courtroom… Ten… I think… we're nearly… yes."

Stopping outside a grimy dark door with an immense iron lock, Mr Weasley slumped against the wall, trying to catch his breath.

"Go on," he panted, pointing his thumb at the door. "Get in there."

Riku looked at the man wondering if he would be alright on his own. Shaking his head and deciding not to waste anymore time, he made his way into the courtroom. Looking around, despite the darkness, he could easily see on the highest benches, many people speaking in low voices. There were about fifty of them, all, wearing plum-colored robes with an elaborately worked silver W on the left-hand side of the chest.

As soon as he stepped in, the voices stopped.

"You're late."

"Sorry," muttered Riku. "Not my fault or fault of yours I never received the notice until just now."

"At least you admit it," The voice said. "Take your seat."

Riku twitched when he saw the chair in question and groaned loudly, realising he was in the same room the Lestrange were sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.

"Well, come on! We don't have time for this dilly-dallying!" The voice growled lowly, getting annoyed at Riku's hesitance to sit on the chair.

Riku reluctantly sat down as the people on the top bench looked down at him curiously.

Cornelius Fudge sat at the forefront of them all. On his left sat a broad, square-jawed witch with very short grey hair, wearing a monocle.

Riku internally commented, _'Is she trying to look intimidating? So not working.'_

On Fudge's right was another witch, who made Riku want to gag loudly, since she was dressed entirely in pink, and looked like a human toad.

"Very well," Fudge declared, ignoring the strange faces Riku was making. "The accused being present - finally - let us begin. Are you ready?" he called down the row.

Utter silence.

Fudge turned his head towards the end of the front bench, frowning. "Mr Weasley?"

Riku snapped his head in the direction of said person and caught the eyes of one Percy Weasley, whose eyes had widened in recognition before-

"Damn it all to Kingdom Hearts! Why the hell are you here?!" Percy slammed his hands on the bench as he stood up, pointing accusingly at Riku.

Riku's only coherent thought was this: _'Huh?!'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remus hitting Sirius something for glomping him will be a bit of a running gag. Also, this story is going to end up non-Deathly Hallows compliant.
> 
> READ AND COMMENT PLEASE!


	7. In the Background 2: Reigniting Dancing Flames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: Just go back a few chapters if you feel like reading the disclaimer of all things.

_**In the Background 2: Reigniting Dancing Flames** _

Flames start off with a spark. Fanning the flames makes it bigger, brighter. Leave it alone, and it goes out of control. Keep it contained, and you will see it dance.

Same with memories. One spark is all it takes to trigger it. For Percy Weasley, fire was the trigger, the spark that reignited the Dancing Flames.

* * *

**Age 3:**

Percy was in the living room, and for the first time, he was there to see his father return by the Floo. Flames engulfed the fireplace, flames that he had been forbidden to touch or see without his parents around. This was his first time seeing the fireplace lit. Though, he felt the colour was wrong… After all, weren't flames supposed to be red, orange and yellow, not green? All the colours of a sunset?

**Age 5:**

He tried to keep it down, but the urge was there. The urge to prank his eldest brother. He was going to leave them all alone! Though the urge was pushed down in favour of playing with the twins, who loved jumping him. Percy sometimes wondered if the urge to play pranks was due to those dreams he had of pranking a beautiful town with a blue haired, gold eyed boy, and pranking the ones living in a stark white castle with a pair who had the same sky blue eyes, but of different genders, hairstyles and hair colour.

**Age 9:**

Percy was going to be the eldest brother in the house until two years later. He decided it was time to start acting responsibly. While teaching the twins pranks was fun and all, he had to show his mother that he could live independently (if only to be able to prank people without giving away that it was him). A mask of a responsible big brother. Even though it was a mask, it felt familiar though. After all, he did act as a mentor to the black and blond duo in the white castle in his dreams.

**Age 11:**

It was his turn to leave for Hogwarts. Maybe a present? So he asked his mother if they all could go out for ice-cream, since it would be the last time he saw his younger siblings. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour sold many flavours. But one in particular stood out to Percy. He decided to inquire the owner.

"Mr Fortescue? May I ask what these light blue bars are?"

The man gave him a grin, "They're an old recipe I've been trying to recreate since I found it five years ago! Managed to perfect them, Sea-salt Ice-cream that is! Want to try one?"

He said yes, and he got a bar while paying the man. His siblings looked at him as he took a bite.

"Salty… but surprisingly sweet!" He exclaimed, enjoying the icy treat. He realized he had tasted the ice-cream before, in his dreams, eating it with the duo on the top of a clock tower, watching the sunset.

At age 11, this was the point he realized his dreams were more than just dreams. Especially when the Sorting Hat told him of his underlying Slytherin like personality, one brought forth by his dreams. He still got sorted into Gryffindor though.

**Age 12:**

Percy felt the sting of betrayal, as his eldest brother decided to leave the family to work in Egypt, to heed his calling as a curse breaker. It was slightly familiar though. That night he dreamed.

" _Your mind's made up?"_

" _Why did the Keyblade chose me? I have to know."_

" _You can't turn on the -! You get on their bad side and they'll destroy you!"_

" _No one would miss me."_

" _That's not true! I would."_

Percy woke up with that dream in mind. Somehow, seeing the hardened blue eyes in the blonde's face tugged at his heart and he mentally screamed at his dream self for not chasing down the blond and trying to stop him or at least follow him.

* * *

**Age 14:**

He was exasperated. His brothers, the twins, had some how pranked the whole school before the train arrived to take them home. They were currently being chewed out by their mother. Though, he mentally applauded them for such an extravagant prank. Decorating the entire Great Hall walls with paintings of their animal mascots and charming the ceiling to rain their mascot animals? Genius. (Though he had to wonder how they modified the charm for the ceiling)

He was surprised when he saw Luna Lovegood with their family. He asked his mother, who announced that Luna's mother had died and her father was still grieving, thus left his daughter in the care of the Weasley Clan.

Percy went to greet her only to meet strangely familiar blue eyes and pale blond hair. His mind flashed to one of his dreams, a castle that took the memories of its intruders. She made the first move.

"I see you're slowly putting the pieces of your memory together. You may want to complete them soon, as Kingdom Hearts has set several changes in motion."

Mentally, Percy cursed, _'She's still such a witch… Literally this time!'_ He didn't question the strange thought. Luna just looked at him dreamily before walking off, drawing happily in her sketchbook a black coated man with flaming red hair.

* * *

**Age 15:**

_'That's Harry Potter?! He looks too thin…'_ is Percy's first impression of the Boy-who-lived. But the green eyes triggered a memory of similarly green tattoos he had on his face during his dreams. He acted. Pompous and slightly abusive of his prefect position to hide his need to go to contact his elder brother for help. His dreams had been getting more and more realistic and out of control by the day.

He ran off once he was sure the first years were settled in, and sent a letter to Bill detailing his current problem. The letter returned within a week, and in the dead of the night, Percy Weasley snuck his way to the Gringotts bank and had the Ritual of Awakening done, completing the links to his chain of memories.

He returned to school with glamours undetectable by magic, since his hair had spiked back into its wild mane and his eyes had turned as green as Potter's, and a brand new wand, a 14 inch beech, with a fire crab ash and phoenix tail feather core combination, flexible [1]. He was more Slytherin than before.

That year, despite the issue with the Sorcerer's Stone (Yep, he knew and wondered why Harry had such a need to help people…), the school was hit with a rash number of pranks that couldn't be pinned on the Weasley Twins or anyone else, though the two did look at Percy suspiciously. Ron was hit particularly hard, since Percy had caught him betraying Potter's trust. Dumbledore didn't know that their conversation had been heard though.

* * *

**Age 16:**

Diagon Alley. Malfoy. Weasley. Confrontation. Bad. Percy rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance as his father and Lord Malfoy started fighting. He did take the time to notice Draco Malfoy and realised how the cold look really looked familiar. Must have been the leftover feedback from assimilating his memories. But the glare really looked a lot like someone whenever he was angry at him.

He had found a friend in one of his fellow prefects the year before, and spent a lot of time talking with her. It was hard finding someone intelligent and not Quidditch obsessed to hold a conversation with. Though, this constant contact led to his sister assuming they were dating.

Then the attacks happened. He did his best to try to divert Potter's attention away from the little mystery on hand, but it didn't work. Percy officially declared Harry Potter to having a Hero Complex. It didn't help that his traitor of a brother was egging the boy on to trying to solve the attacks.

Then Granger was attacked. The muggleborn girl, from what he gathered, was the only one truly loyal to Potter. Thus, Potter threw any reasoning out of the window. Percy had to bang his head on the wall when they tried to find answers from an Acromantula nest of all things. He really hated the recklessness that all Gryffindors had.

His sister going missing was the final straw though. Everyone avoided Percy when he stormed his way towards the headmaster's office, flames sparking at the tips of his fingers, eager to snap and burn culprit down to the point that even their bones were ashes. Potter got to him first though, saving his little sister in the progress.

A little sister he grew utterly disgusted by when she was offered and agreed to the same proposal to betray Potter's trust by Dumbledore.

There were no pranks this time around for the end of year. Percy was disgusted by his youngest siblings, and recruited the twins, giving them a subtle hint to slowly bring to light the manipulations happening around Potter to him, and protect him as a brother would. The twins saw the evil grin, one extremely familiar pranking grin, on their uptight brother's face, and agreed, knowing the chaos it would cause.

* * *

**Age 17:**

Last year at Hogwarts. Aiming for a Ministry position for infiltration purposes. Though… he felt they were utterly incompetent. Sirius Black never had a trial for his crime of betraying the Potters, from what Percy researched. Despite that fact, he was sent straight to Azkaban, the supposedly "impenetrable" fortress that held the worst of the worst. Black escaped. And Fudge decides to place those soul sucking monsters in a school full of children! Seriously, this level of incompetence was horrendous.

The year went on somewhat peacefully. With only that incident on the train, the Quidditch match that had Dementors invading the pitch, and the one time Black was spotted in the school, nothing much happened.

Well, nothing except the fact that the true traitor (Percy cursed his lack of memories and giving the rat to his brother as the reason for not noticing the oddness of the rat's lifespan) escaped and their DADA teacher turned out to be a Werewolf (Not that he cared, considering Isa was almost the same.). Percy kept mentally muttering about stupid hero complexes when he secretly prepared the prank for Professor Snape and the Headmaster. The shouts of horror came from the castle while the students boarded the train home.

Percy did pull aside the twins to tell them of his plan to infiltrate the Ministry. The two understood the meaning of secrecy well and didn't mind that he was not going to be as close to their family for the time being. In return he gave them more prank ideas to use since he knew of their dream to open a prank store.

* * *

**Age 18:**

Although he was eager, Percy felt that it was a giant mistake. The Tri-Wizard Tournament he meant. Something bad was going to happen. He knew it ever since Bertha Jorkins went missing.

Percy was right.

Despite his teasing mannerisms when he dropped a hint about the tournament, he was inwardly worried for the safety of his family. The attack at the Quidditch World Cup, the appearance of the Dark Mark, and the numerous letters of fear and worry about the possible return of Death Eaters had increased his worry further. It didn't really help that he was stressed out by Crouch's strictness, maintaining his cover was tiring.

Percy did develop a way of sending messages without the use of owls. It modified the original purpose of the Howlers (He experimented on the ones he kept getting without opening them). Instead of shouting its message before burning into ashes, the ones he made were sent through a flash of fire, leaving the letter. Once the contents were read, the letter would still burn up. What made it fun was that most would immediately assume a phoenix dropped the letter off, thus they would not look to him as a sender of the messages. Useful when sending budget friendly prank ideas to the twins, who were still easily surprised that their stuck up brother encouraged their pranks despite how many years had passed.

The next time he hears from them though, was when the selection of the Champions for the tournament occurred. Percy inwardly cursed the horrible luck Potter had. Were all heroes magnets for trouble? Percy was starting to think so.

The stress had gotten to Crouch, allowing Percy to get closer to the man, becoming his personal assistant. Though, observing him, Percy felt that the stress wasn't related to the tournament at all.

Because of his new duties, Percy went to the Yule Ball, and while he had been talking to the rest of the judges and his former professors, Luna had dragged him aside to give his a warning that made him pale in shock.

"His reawakening draws near Percy. Be prepared, for everything will change. Alliances made, bonds forged and broken, memories of old returning," With that, Luna left, leaving Percy worried for what was to come.

The second task had pissed him off, even though he didn't show it. Putting the lives of those who were supposed to be uninvolved in the tournament in danger was irresponsible of the ones who chose the tasks. He was glad though, that Potter had gotten the young veela child out of the water. Any longer, and she would have died, since the child was born fire aligned [2], as all veela and their descendants were, making them more vulnerable to water than most.

Then Crouch had for some reason turned up in the Forbidden Forest. Percy was facing inquiry, but it did not lead to any consequences other than his ability to oversee the last task. A small set back, since he would not be able to keep and eye on Potter and would have lost the trust of his 'superiors'.

Though, it seems that Luna's prediction was inevitable. By the end of the third task, Percy knew Voldemort had returned. How, he didn't know, but Percy knew that he was going to have to suck up to a lot of people in the Ministry if he was to regain their trust and gather more information.

Knowing this, Percy sighed, thinking, _'Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?'_

* * *

**Age 19:**

Percy managed to get himself disowned by his family, for not wanting to follow Dumbledore. His actions were sincere either way. Dumbledore was a fool to think that the Ministry would listen without hard evidence such as memories, yet he didn't see it fit to do so. At least, by announcing his allegiance to the Ministry, they would not suspect him of being a spy, especially that toad, Umbridge.

Then Potter got himself caught for using magic outside of Hogwarts. Percy sighed when he received the news, and wondered what had happened for Potter to find a need to do so. The day of the trial came, and Potter was late, but Percy knew it was a ploy to force a guilty verdict, since the Minister changed the time.

When Potter entered the room, Percy had to force himself to stay seated on his chair, as he noticed something familiar about Potter's now silver streaked hair. Even the boy's voice sounded familiar, not a nice familiarity, but of someone who grated on his nerves in his past quite often. He wasn't paying attention when the Minister asked him if he was ready.

Potter had turned his head Percy's direction, allowing him to see very familiar bluish green eyes set on an even more familiar face. Recognition filled him, and the side of him that was Axel surged forth like a wild fire, slamming his hands on the bench as he stood up to point accusingly at Potter, or should he say Riku.

"Damn it all to Kingdom Hearts! Why the hell are you here?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Percy was chosen as Axel's reincarnation cause of his outward dislike of Dumbledore, his red hair, plus his position in the Ministry. However, I've taken the liberty to add more of Axel's personality into him, to act as a spy, traitor, prankster, elder bother. We've often seen a number of fanfics implementing this for those who prefer to portray Percy in a good light though. He's also more hot tempered, plus he also loves to experiment with fire, hence him meddling with the magic of a Howler letter.
> 
> Explanations:  
> [1] New Wand – Beech because of his logical mind, and fire crab ash and phoenix feather combination because of his love for fire.  
> [2] Fire Aligned – Magical creatures known for their abilities with fire or who Humans who have creature inheritance from said type of magical creature. Automatically labels them as fire elementals. This alignment, however, makes them extremely vulnerable to any spells or creatures that work with water.
> 
> READ AND COMMENT!


	8. The Hearing, TAKE 2!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer in the first few chapters. Please look there if that is all you are looking for. And an added note: This is in all technicality chapter VIII. Axel's organisation number. Coincidence?

**Just to make the beginning of the chapter make sense, let's recap what happened at the end of the last chapter shall we?**

_Cornelius Fudge sat at the forefront of them all. On his left sat a broad, square-jawed witch with very short grey hair, wearing a monocle._

_Riku internally commented,_ _'Is she trying to look intimidating? So not working.'_

_On Fudge's right was another witch, who made Riku want to gag loudly, since she was dressed entirely in pink, and looked like a human toad._

_"Very well," Fudge declared, ignoring the strange faces Riku was making. "The accused being present - finally - let us begin. Are you ready?" he called down the row._

_Utter silence._

_Fudge turned his head towards the end of the front bench, frowning. "Mr Weasley?"_

_Riku snapped his head in the direction of said person and caught the eyes of one Percy Weasley, whose eyes had widened in recognition before-_

_"Damn it all to Kingdom Hearts! Why the hell are you here?!" Percy slammed his hands on the bench as he stood up, pointing accusingly at Riku._

_Riku's only coherent thought was this:_ 'Huh?!'

**Caught up now?**

* * *

_**Chapter 6: The Hearing, TAKE 2!** _

Everyone in the court started muttering at the sudden outburst of the normally polite Percy Weasley. The witch dressed in pink (Kiri: *Gags*) coughed loudly and quickly admonished him, "Mr Weasley, please mind your language."

The red haired man just waved her off, "Sorry Madam Undersecretary, no can do." Returning his attention to Riku, he growled out, "Now why and how are you here?!"

Really not understanding what was going on (Especially since Percy just damned everything to Kingdom Hearts of all things. Where the hell did he learn about that?), Riku just asked in total confusion, "Umm… I'm here for a disciplinary hearing Percy, what else would I be here for?"

Percy (Or whoever he was.) rubbed the bridge of his nose and glared at Riku in annoyance, "Not that. Now answer me before I decide to summon my chakrams and flambé you."

At the threat, most of the wizards had started whispering among themselves, wondering what had caused such a violent reaction from their court scribe. Riku on the other hand, was busy putting the pieces together.

' _He knows about Kingdom Hearts, so he's most likely a reincarnation. He has chakrams as weapons, and wields fire? There was only one person with those abilities…'_ Riku's eyes slowly widened in realisation.

Before Riku could voice any of his thoughts, the monocle wearing witch interrupted them, "Mr Weasley, whatever issue you have with Mr Potter, please settle it when the court session is over. Now sit down!"

Hearing the note of finality in her voice, and finally noticing the atmosphere in the court, Percy sat down with a huff.

With Percy settled, Fudge then sighed before declaring, "Disciplinary hearing of the twelfth of August, into offences committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy by Harry James Potter, resident at number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."

Percy looked extremely vexed as he scribbled on his piece of parchment. Riku, having guessed who he was previously, could only wonder what the man was thinking while Riku listened to the Minister drone on.

"Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley," Fudge came to a pause before asking Riku, "Any witness for the defence?"

Riku replied, "None sir."

"Then we sh-" Fudge tried to continue when he was interrupted by Riku.

"I have no witness for my defence. However, I would like to request the use of the Veritaserum during the trial, and the submission of my memories of the incident into a pensieve to back up any information I give during the interrogation."

Hearing the bold request from Riku, the entire court burst out into quite mutters. The monocle wearing woman looked at him before saying, "We can grant you the use of a pensieve to submit your memories. However, I'm quite sure you know we can't actually dose you with Veritaserum, since its illegal for it to be used on a minor such as yourself."

Riku, having expected such question being put forth, immediately replied, "Madam, if I'm not mistaken, this is the entire Wizagenmot right? Thus, I am being trialled not as a minor, but as an adult in front of a full court. Hence, it is perfectly legal for the use of Veritaserum."

Hearing his explanation, she gave a satisfied nod, knowing that Riku understood the implications of him being trialled by a full court, "Very well then. Someone bring the Veritaserum and the pensieve. We will administer the potion when the interrogation begins, and you will bring forth your memories regarding the event when requested." She then gestured to Fudge to continue.

"Yes," said Fudge again, shuffling his notes. "Well, then. So. The charges. Yes."

He extricated a piece of parchment from the pile before him, took a deep breath, and read out, "The charges against the accused are as follows: That he did knowingly, deliberately and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, having received a previous written warning from the Ministry of Magic on a similar charge, produce a Patronus Charm in a Muggle-inhabited area, in the presence of a Muggle, on the second of August at twenty-three minutes past nine, which constitutes an offence under Paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, and also under Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks" Statute of Secrecy."

Pausing, Fudge then declared, "Before we begin the questioning, we will administer three drops of Veritaserum to the accused."

At that, a man came up to Riku and requested him to stick out his tongue. Three drops of the colourless potion was administered, and Riku swallowed.

"Now then, you are Harry James Potter, of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?" Fudge said, glaring at Riku over the top of his parchment.

"Yes," Riku said.

"You received an official warning from the Ministry for using illegal magic three years ago, did you not?"

"Yes."

"And yet you conjured a Patronus on the night of the second of August?" said Fudge.

"Yes," said Riku, "However-"

"Knowing that you are not permitted to use magic outside school while you are under the age of seventeen?"

"Yes, but -"

"Knowing that you were in an area full of Muggles?"

"Yes, but -"

"Fully aware that you were in close proximity to a Muggle at the time?"

"Yes! And will you give me time to explain myself? Or else what was the point of me requesting for the Veritaserum to be administered!" Riku growled, completely annoyed.

Gulping nervously at Riku's outburst, Fudge stuttered out, "F-fine then. Explain yourself!"

Taking a deep breath, Riku explained, "Firstly, the Muggle I performed the Patronus in front of was my cousin from my mother's side of the family. Hence, he was already informed of my ability to use magic, having lived with him most of my life. This, does not violate the Statute of Secrecy at all, due to his prior knowledge of magic."

"Secondly, even if I did use magic, it would only be under extenuating circumstances."

"Hem hem. And what sort of circumstances would that be?" Simpered the one Percy called the Undersecretary.

Riku smirked, "Why, one of the only creatures which would require a Patronus to be cast in defence of one's self of course. A Dementor."

At that the room was once again filled with the chatter of the court.

"That's impossible!"

"Casting a Patronus at his age?!"

"Insane like the papers said."

"Dementors in a Muggle area?"

"Definitely lying, that one."

Riku then said in response to the last statement, "It's impossible for me to lie right now. After all, I have taken Veritaserum before being asked the question."

The monocle wearing witch nodded in agreement before asking Riku, "Then will you submit your memories of the incident into the pensieve in the middle of the hall while the Minister and I view it?"

Riku smiled and just walked towards the pensieve. Grabbing his wand, he brought forward the memory and coaxed it out, as he had been taught by Remus. The silver mist that represented his memories were then put into the pensieve. Both the monocle wearing witch and Fudge then stood up and placed their heads in it.

Silence reigned the hall as the rest of the Wizagenmot waited for the two to re-emerge. When they did, both were pale with shock, and Fudge himself was shivering in fear.

The monocle wearing woman (Kiri: I keep calling her that…), having regained her composure first, then declared, "It seems he was telling the truth about the Dementors and his use of the Patronus. There were no signs of tampering in his memories at all. I think we can call for a vote now."

Fudge, still shivering from viewing the pensieve memory, stuttered out, "I s-second Madam Bones' motion to vote."

Most of the hall, having seen Fudge and Madam Bones' reaction to the memory, voted not guilty. Some, though, including the Undersecretary, still voted guilty despite the evidence given.

Fudge, seeing the majority vote of not guilty, sighed and said, "Very well then. The accused is cleared of all charges. Court adjourned!"

With that the wizards and witches got up from their seats while Riku was led outside. Waiting for him, Arthur Weasley leaned on a pillar and blinked in surprise when he saw Riku. He then asked nervously, "How was it?"

Riku smirked and said, "Cleared of all charges."

It was then that the doors to the court flung open once more, and the rest of the wizards and witches left the room.

"Merlin's beard!" exclaimed Mr Weasley wonderingly, pulling Riku aside to let them all pass. "You were tried by the full court?"

Riku nodded in reply to the man's statement, not really paying attention, but looking out for one person in particular in the crowd. The red headed scribe was just about to walk past them when he noticed his father and Riku, having caught Riku's searching eye. As the crowd dispersed, Percy approached the two, his father looking at him in complete surprise.

"Father," Percy nodded towards Mr Weasley, before turning to Riku and glaring. "You. We need to talk."

Riku smirked, "Nice to see you too," then turned to Mr Weasley and said, "I need to speak with him for a while, can I meet you at the entrance to the Ministry? Thanks!" And Riku waved to the confused Mr Weasley as Percy grabbed him by the collar and dragged him off.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read and comment please!


	9. Arguments with a Red-head, Malfoy, and a Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer in the first few chapters. Please look there if that is all you are looking for.

_**_Chapter 7: Arguments with a Red-head, Malfoy, and a Party_ ** _

_Ministry of Magic, 9th floor_

Moving to the 9th floor and having gotten far enough from his father, Percy finally stopped dragging Riku, who had not struggled the entire time. Instead the red-head just glared at the boy, waiting for the explanation he had demanded out of Riku during the trial.

Seeing this, Riku just gave a smug greeting, "Hello again No. VIII."

"'Hello again' my ass. What are you doing here Riku?" Axel growled, rather annoyed at Riku's nonchalant attitude.

"Why else would I be here? I got reincarnated," Riku said.

Axel snorted. "As Harry Potter of all people. You'd think it was Kingdom Heart's way of giving payback for blindly giving in to the darkness."

Wincing at that particular jab at his past, Riku changed the topic, "Well I was not expecting more of us to be reincarnated in the first place."

"More?" Axel knew that some of them had been reincarnated, but to find out about them so soon…

"Zack Fair and Cloud Strife got reincarnated in this world as well," Riku explained.

"I don't really know them but… Huh. So  _her_  prediction about memories of old returning was true…" Axel muttered.

Hearing this Riku questioned, "Hm? Who's ' _her'_?"

Axel chuckled, "You'll probably meet her when you return to Hogwarts this term. Oh, by the way…" Drawing back his arm Axel gave Riku a solid punch to the face.

Riku not being able to react fast enough, felt his cheek swell as he clutched it in pain.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"That was for fucking kidnapping Roxas and replacing his memories!"

"You're still mad about that?!"

"Of course I'm still mad!"

"Get over it, you hot head! It's been years!"

"Hot head?! I'm a hot head?!"

"Yes, you!"

"Well, you're the jealous prick who hates anyone close to Sora!"

"I'm jealous?! What about you! You Roxas obsessed idiot!"

Of course with that one punch, insults were then flung back and forth between the two. Hearing the sudden rise in volume of their discussion, the Ministry employees, who had been ignoring the two previously, turned their attention to Riku and Axel. They did not understand what was going on and worried that a fight would soon break out between the two, insults turning into spells. This verbal fight was interrupted by someone though.

"Assistant Weasley and… Patronus Potter," Came the snide voice of one Lucius Malfoy.

"What!" Riku growled, rather annoyed at the interruption.

Hearing the tone of disrespect in his voice the green clad man pointed out mockingly, "You seem to be causing quite a… commotion here."

"I'm settling a disagreement with Weasley here,  _Lord Malfoy_. Of course it would be noisy," Riku explained sarcastically.

Malfoy just gave a sneer, "I really don't know how you managed to worm your way out of that trial but…" His face scrunched up with an annoyed look as he seemed to remember something before directing the oddly quiet Minister Fudge behind him away. "Come Minister. We have things to discuss."

And as the two men walked away, Axel shuddered while Riku pondered at the odd feeling the man gave off.

"I really hate that slimy bastard. I can't believe the Minster actually accepts bribes from such a suspicious man!" Axel muttered, not caring that he revealed that the Minister accepted such bribes.

Riku though, ignored the red head's muttering as he wondered, "He seemed kind of annoyed today. Normally that man would take any opportunity to insult me. Something must have happened at the Malfoy Manor."

"Or maybe he's just disgusted at how people of our standing, a last of an ancient family, and a pureblood, can act like barbarians and argue like that."

Riku gave a laugh at that comment, "True to that!"

Axel then looked down to his watch before blinking in surprise, and said to Riku, "Look, we'll discuss more on our situation another time. I have work to do, so I'll send you a missive whenever I can."

Riku, realizing that their argument had been longer than expected and he had left Mr Weasley waiting, nodded in agreement, "Got it. I'll send you the details of our reincarnation via Hedwig."

Axel, hearing this, smirked before running off to his office, while Riku made his way to the Ministry atrium, where a pacing Mr Weasley waited.

* * *

_No. 12, Grimmauld's Place_

The minute Riku stepped into Grimmauld's Place and announced his win against the court, cheers erupted throughout the house. Mrs Weasley made preparations for a party, and that night everyone celebrated. Of course, during all the ruckus, someone decided to spike the drinks, prompting Moody to glare at the Fred and George, who were whistling innocently. Sirius just stood by the side snickering at their antics while Remus shook his head in disappointment.

Ron and Ginny, deciding to take advantage of the rather relaxed atmosphere, tried to confront Riku once again. This attempt was thwarted when they were distracted by Hermione and some of the twins' pranks going off, namely Canary Creams on some of the desserts that had been laid out.

However, the guest of honour was not even at the party. Having taken enough food for himself, Riku had locked himself in Buckbeak's room, thankful that Hermione and the twins had kept anyone from noticing his early disappearance from the party. As the boy sat next to the Hippogriff eating his food, Riku began reminiscing about the party they had after he had rescued Sora from his nightmare during the Mark of Mastery exam.

_*Flashback*_

_Waking up from attempting to wake Sora from his dream, Riku had not expected to see the other wide awake and partying with Donald and Goofy. Shouting at him to catch his attention, Sora turned around and seeing Riku awake, flew forward to hug him._

" _Riku… You're safe! Riku!" Sora exclaimed._

_Riku felt that this had definitely happened once before, though he had a feeling it was him who should have said it to Sora._

" _Wait, haven't we got this backwards?" Riku asked, then taking advantage of Sora's silence to add on, "And why are you having a tea party?"_

_And of course, Sora promptly ignored his question and went back to hugging him. Giving up, Riku just inquired about Sora's wellbeing, his heart content with the fact that his lover had returned to the physical world safe and sound._

_That party had continued on for a while, but it had given Riku a chance to be at Sora's side after being separated during the test the entire time. The blue eyed boy just took Riku's protectiveness in stride, enjoying the other's presence._

_*End Flashback*_

That party had been enjoyable, mainly because it had Sora as the center of it all. Riku missed Sora, and after seeing Axel and hearing that there was probably more people other than them yet to be reincarnated or found, it made his heart long for Sora. As Riku took a sip of his drink and laid the remainder of his food on the ground for Buckbeak, he had one hopeful thought on his mind.

' _Maybe we will see each other again in this World, in this time…_ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Axel vs Riku fight is more like insults being thrown back and forth thanks to Axel finally getting payback against Riku for kidnapping Roxy. Malfoy is annoyed at something, and because I'm skipping the boggart chapter, the reason WILL appear in the next chapter. And I'm sorry Sora only appears in a flashback for this! I really missed Sora, and as a main character, I thought I should at least let him appear in a flashback. Also, Sora and Riku are in an established relationship! There were a small number of hints in the first chapter. So if you weren't expecting it, you really should have looked at the summary since there was a mention of slash being present. Not explicit though. I can't write those.
> 
> As usual, read and comment!


	10. The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, TAKE 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Harry Potter. Do I look like I'm rich? No? Then quit asking!

**Chapter 8: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, TAKE 2**

The days leading up to their return to Hogwarts became a hectic mess. Booklists finally arrived, and along with it, prefect badges for Hermione and Ron. Riku internally felt that Hermione deserved it, but Ron really didn't. Either way, it led to a party once Molly Weasley caught wind of it. A party that ended in disaster the moment she found a boggart in one of the rooms. Riku had stood by watching as they destroyed the creature, unmoving and expressionless, since he understood the woman's fears of losing those dearest to her.

The next day though, Riku realised he had foolishly destroyed all the keys to his vaults except for the ones he now carried. Rushing to Sirius and Remus, he immediately explained the problem, and with their backing, he was able to convince Molly to let him come with her to collect his books.

Then on the day they were supposed to head to King's Cross, everyone was scrambling around to pack except Riku and Hermione. The two were just sitting in the living room reading the books they had out waiting for the chaos to settle down. Sirius had already turned into his dog form and laid at Riku's feet while Remus kept looking at his watch. And when they were all done, they piled up into a car that had much more space than it was supposed to.

Reaching the station, saying goodbyes – "Zack, be careful okay." "Bark!" "I'll make sure the puppy behaves, Harry. Go ahead and board." – and finally boarding the train, Riku just wanted to find a compartment to rest in. Of course, as it turned out most of them were full. Well almost all of them.

Riku, while avoiding Ginny, had bumped into Neville, who recognised him despite the changes in his appearance ("It's your eyes Harry." Neville explained.). The two found one compartment with only one person in it. A petite blond girl sat there, a crayon in hand sketching in her book. Standing at the door, Riku then asked, "Excuse me miss, may we join you in this compartment?"

The girl looked up at him, and seeing the blue eyes set in that familiar face, it shocked Riku, as sitting in front of him was the former Nobody of Kairi, Naminé. Naminé looked at him, a knowing smile on her face as she gestured for Neville and Riku to take a seat.

"I see you've connected your chain of memories, Harry," Naminé said with a smile on her face. The boy, having taken his seat, just chuckled in response, "I've met you several times before, but not once have I gotten your name."

The blond just giggled, and Riku looked in surprise at how happy the girl was. The last time they had seen each other was when she returned to Kairi, but he was glad that Naminé had been given a second chance. The girl then replied, still giggling, "It's Luna, Harry. Luna Lovegood. But…" She turned her head to Neville, "I'm afraid I don't know who you are, even if I've seen you before."

"Er – I'm nobody," Neville muttered.

Riku tapped the boy gently on the head, eliciting a soft 'Ow' from Neville, and sighed as he introduced them to each other, "Luna, this is Neville Longbottom, who really needs some confidence in himself outside of Herbology."

Naminé gave Neville a smile and said, "Nice to meet you Neville. I'm Luna Lovegood, Fourth Year Ravenclaw."

Neville smiled back at the gesture, before turning to Riku, "Hey, guess what I got for my birthday?"

"Another Remembrall?" Riku guessed, remembering the little device that had a tendency to glow red whenever it found its way into his hands. He wondered what would happen now if he touched it. Probably would stay clear now that he had retrieved his memories.

"Nope. Take a look at this," Neville said proudly as he took out a cactus like plant from his bag, " _Mimbulus mimbletonia_. My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. It's really, really rare. I don't know if there's one in the greenhouses of Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout… I'm going to see if I can breed from it."

"Rare?" Riku asked.

"Yes, you see it has a really interesting defence mechanism…" Neville said as he passed Luna his frog and got out his wand, but Luna warned him off, "Neville, if it's a defence mechanism, it might not be a good idea to trigger it in an enclosed space."

Neville froze and looked rather embarrassed for not thinking about the consequences earlier. Riku, who had cast a Reflega around himself as a safety measure, sighed in relief and dispelled the shield. Then, the compartment door opened.

"Hello Harry," said the black haired girl, Cho Chang. Riku sighed once again, this time a little annoyed, "Hello Cho."

Flinching at his rather cold tone of voice, Cho muttered, "Um… I… Well… just thought I'd say hello – so… um… Bye, then…"

She closed the door behind her. Riku sighed, wondering what the hell he was thinking when he asked her out during his fourth year. Neville looked at him as if he was crazy, "Harry, did you just scare her off? I thought you liked her!"

Riku's glare silenced any further comments from Neville, causing the boy to whimper. Naminé though, began to draw on her sketch book and said, "He already has someone special in mind, Neville, someone named S –"

" _Silencio_!" Riku muttered with his wand pointed at the blond, causing Naminé to pout, but she began giggling (soundlessly of course) when she saw the light blush dusting Riku's face. Neville just looked on in confusion.

Some time later, the door slid open and a plump, smiling witch poked her head in. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

Riku and Neville jumped to their feet, returning a few minutes later with their arms full of sweets (Mainly chocolate frogs), Riku's pile being noticeably less than Neville's. Giving a few to Naminé, the three began snacking quietly.

The compartment door slid open again and Ron and Hermione entered, Crookshanks prowling closely behind them and a noisy Pigwidgeon in tow. Ron hastily stuffed his owl up beside Hedwig's cage (Causing her to hoot in annoyance), made a grab for a Frog from Riku's pile (Which elicited a growl from the silver streaked, black haired teen), and plopped down in the seat furthest from Riku (Who was still rather upset with the red-head). Hermione, who had sat down next to Naminé after the two introduced themselves (The silencing charm had worn off), sighed tiredly.

Riku, wondering what would have caused the bookworm such stress, asked, "Long day?"

Hermione pursed her lips disapprovingly, "Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each House. Boy and girl from each. Guess who's a Slytherin prefect."

"Don't tell me it's Malfoy?" Neville asked.

Ron, despite sitting far from the group, then said, "Him and Parkinson."

Riku just groaned in annoyance. Hermione though, continued, "But I was surprised at the change in Malfoy."

"Change? What sort?" Riku looked at her questioningly.

"Attitude wise, he seems more, quiet and angry for some reason. I wonder if something happened at home," Hermione explained.

Riku then thought back to his hearing, ' _I wonder if this was what Lucius Malfoy was rather upset about…'_

Hermione continued speaking, "His attire is another change. It looked like some muggle outfit most teenagers wear. Wristbands, pendants, chains. But his hair style, I really don't think his father would have approved of it."

Naminé then interrupted, "Let me guess, messy spikes?"

Blinking in surprise, Hermione then exclaimed, "Exactly! How did you know?"

Taking out her crayons and sketchbook, Naminé began drawing while explaining, "Considering his former appearance and adding on his current attire, I can guess what he looks like. Give me a moment."

Completing her picture, she placed her sketch book down for everyone in the compartment to see, "He looks like this, doesn't he."

Hermione looked at the sketch in shock, as it was a perfect replica of what she had seen in her own memories, "How…"

Riku, recognising the person in the sketch, felt his eyes widen in shock, ' _Does this mean that_ He's _here too?!'_

The compartment door slid open for a third time, and the person in the sketch walked in and sat himself right next to Hermione, before placing his head on the table with a great sigh. Hermione looked at him incredulously, Ron looked like he wanted to kill him, Neville had retreated under his seat in slight fear, while Riku's shock was now clearly visible on his face. Naminé was the only one who wasn't reacting shocked in any way. Rather, she was smiling happily.

Hermione was the first to speak up, "Umm… Malfoy? Why are you sitting next to me? I thought you hated Muggleborns."

"Hermione, just kick him out! He's a slimy Slytherin!" Ron yelled out angrily before he got hit by a silencing charm from Riku, who began glaring at the red-head. Riku then turned to Malfoy and asked, "What now?"

Mutters began to be heard from the blond male, "Stupid father and his influence. Stupid Goyle and Crabbe. Stupid me. Can't believe I was such a bully. Rather make an enemy out of Slytherin than have you as an enemy, Potter," At the last statement, the blond looked up at Riku, revealing a glare in the sky blue eyes that dared Riku to disagree.

Hermione, Neville and Ron's eyes bugged out as they all realized the meaning behind Malfoy's words. Naminé leaned over Hermione to hug Malfoy before greeting him, "Nice to see you again, O One Who Holds the Key to Destiny!"

Malfoy, recognizing the girl, greeted back while letting her hug him, "Nice to see you again, O One Who Breaks and Binds the Chain of Memories."

Riku twitched with a frown on his face as he realized that sitting in front of him, was Roxas, the Nobody of Sora, reincarnated into one Draco Malfoy.

Three reincarnations have met once again. Of the six people in the compartment, only three understood the implications of such a meeting. However, even outside of the compartment, no one but the three would know what had just happened, as they had all been scared away by one word shouted by three Gryffindors.

"WHAAAAAAAT?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As most of you can tell, I skipped over the boggart chapter. Why? Because outside of celebrating Hermione and Ron's position as prefects and revealing Molly Weasley's deepest fears, it didn't really do much. Also, Riku made a blunder when he destroyed all the keys before replacing them! Doesn't really impact the plot much, but when hiding things from Dumbles, well... Also, Naminé and Roxas join the fray! All of you who guessed that Draco Malfoy was Roxas, congrats, you got it right! And most of you can tell that Roxas' rebellious streak was what Lucius Malfoy was annoyed about last chapter. As for why those two referred to each other as "O One Who blahblahblah" they can't exactly call each other by name! Riku's an exception since "everyone knows Harry Potter". Also, an alliance is formed between Riku and Roxas, though the three Gryffs don't know that.
> 
> Now lets look at the number of reincarnations we have so far:
> 
> Riku - Harry  
> Sora - ? OC - Only in 6th Book  
> Axel/Lea - Percy  
> Roxas - Draco  
> Naminé - Luna  
> Zack - Sirius  
> Cloud - Remus  
> Unknown KH Antagonist - ? OC - Only in 6th Book  
> Unknown KH Character - ? HP Character - 5th Book  
> Unknown KH Character - ? OC - Only in 6th Book
> 
> 10 reincarnations, three characters not revealed as reincarnations yet, and four characters whose reincarnations are unknown. Three of which are OCs who appear during the 6th book though.
> 
> READ AND COMMENT! (Remaining two chapters will be up in another month. Have exams. But by then, it would have caught up with the FFn chapters, so it would be regular updates for this once I'm done with No. 13 which is killing me to write.)
> 
> EDIT 27/2/2015 - The omake has been moved to it's own story page. Makes things a little neater.


	11. In the Background 3: Binding the Memory Linking Chains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, I shall disclaim any ownership of these series: Kingdom Hearts and Harry Potter. I don't own.

**In the Background 3: Binding the Memory Linking Chains**

If one were to enter the Luna Lovegood's room in the Lovegood House or look at her bed in Ravenclaw, one would have been treated to small drawings scattered around the area. Some slightly childish, and some professionally drawn. But if one looked closely, each drawing told a story.

The first set of her drawings were of an island. Some were of two children sitting together watching the stars. Two were of meetings during the setting sun of the two children and two warriors. Another was of a broken teen who was split in two, abandoned on the island. Yet another was of a faded image of that same teen, joining hands with one of the children, as said child held a glowing light to his chest. Then a third child joined the other two in all the future pictures, all three getting older. Silver was the Land, Red was the Sea, Brunette was the Sky, Luna had named the three when she first drew them.

Her next set of drawings were of the Sky, and what seemed to be herself, she once believed. What seemed to be herself in a glided cage, Selene Lovegood said to Luna when she saw what her daughter had drawn. It was the first set of drawings that she had appeared in, and thus, Luna had sought her mother's advice, who had been surprised that her daughter had a Seer ability that manifested through drawings. But be it past or future, Selene did not know which the drawings referred to. Selene decided to name this version of her daughter Wave.

Luna's third set of drawings were of yet another trio, Blond, Black and Red. Destiny, Tide and Flame. The trio often wore black cloaks whenever she drew them, and spent their time in a town of twilight. But one day, Tide disappeared, and Destiny and Flame broke apart. Luna didn't understand why she had drawn that, but tears filled her eyes, and her heart was filled with regret of an unknown source when she first drew the two apart, and of the missing Tide.

The fourth and last set of drawings that followed the story of the previous three, was of both Sky and Destiny, of Wave and Destiny's connection, of Flame's sacrifice, of Sky and Destiny's own connection, of Land's involvement, of the reunion of Land, Sea and Sky, and of leaving Sky and Land behind to defeat an enemy Luna didn't know of.

It was the fourth and last set, because the night after Luna finished drawing them all, dreams over took her mind, dreams of each and every scene that took place in her drawings, and how most of them were in the perspective of Wave or Sea. Once in a while, she caught a glimpse of those who had not been part of her pictures but were involved, and she always woke up screaming. A scythe of petals, a crackle of sharp lightning. Luna flinched whenever she saw the color pink or a flash of lightning in the distance. But whenever she dreamed of a pair of intricately shaped keys or beautiful dancing flames, she felt the feeling of brotherly protectiveness wash over her.

The dreams continued, getting more and more prominent as each month passed. Then it happened.

A ritual gone wrong, the death of her mother in an attempt to protect her. The trauma of loosing a parent, someone who cared for her and helped her with her abilities as a seer, it caused something to snap into place. That night, when Luna cried herself to sleep, no dreams came. But when she awoke, she  _remembered._

Luna, no,  _Naminé_  remembered everything. Names, faces, spells, books, and  _emotions_. Naminé cried when she realized that she truly had a heart of her own, that she had been given a second chance as her own existence.

The dreams stopped. Naminé was sent to their neighbors, the Weasleys, while her father continued to mourn for the loss of Selene. But the night before she joined the Weasleys to pick up their children in Hogwarts, she didn't know why or how, but she began to draw. Weasley-red hair, blue eyes, neatly dressed in a Hogwarts uniform, facing the right. Flaming red hair set into long spikes, emerald green eyes, dressed in a black coat, facing the left. A slowly forming chain extended from the one in the Hogwarts uniform, to the one in the black coat. Luna fell asleep as the last part of the drawing was complete.

When she awoke, Naminé looked on at her drawing in surprise, seeing Percy Weasley and Axel, the Flurry of Dancing Flames. First herself, and now Axel? Kingdom Hearts must have done something for the two of them to be reincarnated. But the chains… He didn't have all of his memories, just like she didn't before her mother's death. She closed her sketch book, took out a pencil (That could change its colors, a gift from her mother) slid it into the bindings, and headed down to join the Weasleys for breakfast.

When they reached the platform, Naminé smiled when she saw Percy disembark, seeing his eyes flicker between green and blue as it tried to decide between amused or exasperated when he looked at the twins. And when Percy approached her, Naminé decided to leave a message, hoping he would understand when the time came.

_"I see you're slowly putting the pieces of your memory together. You may want to complete them soon, as Kingdom Hearts has set several changes in motion."_

And as she walked off, Naminé sketched out a picture of Axel, fire dancing in the background.

As months flew by, new drawings similar to her first one after her mother's death began to appear in her room. Black hair with green eyes versus silver hair with blue-green eyes, platinum blond with grey eyes versus bright blond with sky blue eyes, brown hair with blue eyes versus black hair with sky blue eyes, and brown hair with blue eyes, whose chain just wasn't complete. Naminé knew that they were the ones who had been reborn, but had not completed their memories, as indicated by their chains.

Then there were those who had a completed chain. Tawny brown with brown turned yellow eyes versus blond with glowing blue eyes that bled into green, a wolf howling in the background as clouds covered a moonlit sky. Wavy black and grey eyes versus messy spiked black and glowing blue, almost violet eyes, a black dog prowling in the background as constellations littered the sky. Spiky blond hair with blue eyes, wind blowing the leaves in the background. And spikey black with glowing yellow eyes, gears turning in the background along with a flying crow.

As time passed and she went to Hogwarts, she watched from a far three whose chains were not complete, once in a while drawing out the futures of them all. Axel had approached her earlier and gave her a warm hug, quietly proclaiming to her that she was his honorary little sister, and apologizing for hurting her in the past. She smiled and just asked him to watch out for one of three, but never mentioned who. It could have been Potter, it could have been Malfoy, but she was sure he picked Potter and she giggled at the thought of him realizing who Harry Potter was.

In her second year, Naminé blinked when she saw who was at the DADA chair that year, and laughed. She knew the puppy was innocent, her drawings told her so, but it was up to the wolf to find that out himself. So she drew events of that year, of confrontations regarding familial connections, of long held grudges, and of a betrayal brought forth. Though, Naminé freaked out when she had to deal with her Boggart, since Marluxia and Larxene were her fears. Luckily the wolf intervened, while looking at her oddly, and she knew it was because he recognized the Organisation coat.

In her third year, it started with her drawing picture after picture almost frantically, her dorm mates looking at her like she was crazy, as usual. When she saw what was to come, she informed Axel.

_"His reawakening draws near Percy. Be prepared, for everything will change. Alliances made, bonds forged and broken, memories of old returning."_

It was an event set in stone. Naminé knew she couldn't change it, not when Potter had not completed his chain. So she waited.

She boarded the train to Hogwarts once more, not expecting anyone to enter her compartment. But  _Riku_  came into her compartment, greeting her like an old friend, and  _Roxas_   _remembered her_.

Naminé did not always foresee everything in their lives, but sometimes, not knowing made her smile, because she knew the one thing she could never foresee was her own fate or involvement in their stories, because its path had many turns, and only her decisions could determine what path it took. Kingdom Hearts had plans for this world, and if its path fell in line with her path, so be it.

And during the beginning of that year, only two pictures made its way into the Ravenclaw dorm, of friends of the past, drawn with crayons, like that of children's drawings and of friends of the present, drawn with pencils, sketched and drawn beautifully as one by one, reincarnations gathered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Drawings - Naminé, actually having Seer blood, expresses her past self's memories via sketches and drawings in crayons or any other drawing tools. She is still a little quirky, but much less compared to the canon Luna.  
> 2) Memories - Now, depending on the person, and the trauma, something can trigger an early merger of memories and past and present self. Appropriate triggers would be the incident that caused Remus to be turned into a werewolf. Naminé's is the death of her mother. Hence, she gets all her memories early.  
> 3) Names she gave to KH characters - Pre-Hogwarts Luna, because I have no idea what she was like, I made her a little quirky by naming the people in her drawings after certain things. She gets it from her mother. Anyway almost all of them are the Japanese to English translations of the KH team's names. Roxas and Lea are exceptions.  
> 4) Vision sketches - Its everyone I plan on reincarnating. Make your guesses as to who is who. I made them really obvious too!
> 
> Read and Comment!


	12. In the Background 4: Turning the Key that Unlocks Paths to Destiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own KH and HP. Yes I'm using short forms. Look back at some of the other chapters for a somewhat proper disclaimer...

**In the Background 4: Turning the Key that Unlocks Paths to Destiny**

Draco Malfoy always felt something was wrong in his life. Even as a child, he always felt that something was out of place, but he didn't consciously tried to find out why. He simply followed what his father told him to do, how to act, how to talk, who to talk to, who NOT to talk to. Honestly, before Hogwarts, he acted like a robot (not that he knew what one was like at the time), doing whatever it was told. While his father approved, Narcissa Malfoy often looked on at her son in sadness.

Then he met Harry Potter during his first year, who, for some reason, incited a surge of emotion, anger, hate, annoyance, jealousy. Draco confided his mother about them, and while she told him never to act on them, he recklessly did so anyway. Maybe it was the green eyes, green eyes that he always felt belonged on the wrong face ( **AN:** **Crap, he sounds like Severus here…** ), or maybe it was the way he always thought Potter was taunting him. Maybe that was why he retaliated the way he did, taunted back, tried to act more powerful then he really was. It didn't bear any fruit, since the nagging feeling was still there.

Draco had his first set of memory like dreams then. A dark city, a towering building with odd lights ( _Neon lights_ , his mind supplied.), and a never ending rain. Dark creatures that crept out of the ground, only to be dispersed by oddly designed key shaped swords. Silver hair and a blindfold, taunting him while he responded back playfully, mind not comprehending what he said. Assertion of self, then, the scene fading to darkness.

Draco didn't think much about the dream, but it did make him more hostile to Potter. And allow him to develop a sense of self. He was still dependent on his father's influence though. His mother, on the other hand, was rather pleased at his emotional growth.

* * *

In his second year, Draco found someone odd within the Weasley Clan. Percy Weasley was an odd one, since, according to what he saw during his first year, he was more cunning, and more ambitious than a regular lion should be. Blue eyes watched the fighting parents in annoyance. Draco himself looked on at the fight, coldly analyzing the reactions nearby, but he noticed that someone was watching him. He turned to look in the direction of the gaze, only to find Percy Weasley staring back. And the interest grew.

As he used the incident regarding the Heir of Slytherin to bring fear to the Mudbloods (Oh how he hated that term. Weren't they all descended from said 'Mudbloods'?), Draco carefully watched the actions of one Percy Weasley. Said Weasley subtly tried to move Potter's attention away from the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets, and pretty much explode when the only female Weasley sibling was dragged down to the Chambers. And Draco watched from afar as the so called goody two shoes of the Weasley siblings made a plan with the twins to cause a little trouble for their traitorous younger siblings.

A second set of memory like dreams filled his mind throughout the year. Dreams of waking up in front of an abandoned mansion, being given a new name, being introduced to twelve others, meeting a man with flaming red hair and piercing green eyes, meeting a girl with black hair and sky blue eyes – dreams were fuzzy whenever it centered around her – the three of them playing pranks on the up tight members of the group, whenever they worked together on missions, and of how each time, they ate sea-salt ice-cream while watching the sunset at the top of the clock tower. And then, something tore them apart.

_"Your mind's made up?"_

_"Why did the Keyblade chose me? I have to know."_

_"You can't turn on the Organization! You get on their bad side and they'll destroy you!"_

_"No one would miss me."_

_"That's not true! I would."_

That last dream, made Draco ask himself, 'What Keyblade?', 'What Organization?', 'Who are you?' and 'Why does my heart feel so much regret? Regret for leaving the red haired man?'. Draco asked, but got no answer in return. All he could hope was for the dreams to reveal more to him.

* * *

Third year was honestly confusing. Other than that confrontation regarding the Hippogriff, Draco didn't deal with Potter so much that year, because he actually enjoyed himself. At least that year, the DADA teacher was competent. But maybe his godfather shouldn't have been so hasty to chase the man away, even if he was a werewolf.

Draco dreamed again. This time of a blue haired yellow eyed man that sent a chill down his spine. Of a fight to escape the white castle that prevented him from finding the truth. The black haired girl,  _his sister_ , disappearing into ice crystals within his arms after he dealt the final blow that ended her existence within his own memories, and of a final promise. To eat ice-cream together.

When Draco woke from that final dream, he decided to leave the Malfoy Manor for a while. Somehow, he had ended up at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Browsing the choices he had, his eyes widened when he saw familiar light blue bars. Quickly buying one bar, Draco made his way back to the Malfoy Manor and headed straight to the roof. The sun was setting, and he took a bite of the ice-cream.

"Salty… but surprisingly sweet. A nostalgic taste," Draco muttered to himself as he slowly finished the ice-cream. Then the Malfoy house elves found him, and he got yelled at for his recklessness by his mother. It was worth it though, being able to see the sunset, the fiery color that represented the red haired, green eyed man.

_"Bet you don't know why the sunset's red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest."_

And if the dreams were beginning to affect his waking world, he didn't really care. Draco was getting his answers, slowly, but surely.

* * *

Fourth year was when things began to become a little strange. Instead of the dreams beginning a little after the year started, Draco started having the dreams way before that year at school even began. Dreams living in town where the clock tower was, of friends, competition, that  _red haired man_  who his dream self somehow  _did not remember_! How? How had his dream self forgotten about such an important person in his life?! Then at the start of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, the dreams just  _stopped._

With the Tri-Wizard Tournament occurring that year, Draco was rather miffed with the change in pattern of the dreams. Then Death Eaters and the Dark Mark appeared at the Quidditch World Cup. He pretty much treaded lightly when speaking to his father after that, knowing instinctively that something was happening in the Wizarding World, and it wasn't a good feeling.

The rest of the year was pretty much dealing with the aftermath of Potter's illegal entry into the Tournament. Draco had been rather frustrated with the current atmosphere of the Malfoy household, and thus vented the only way he knew would satisfy him, by taunting Potter and baiting him. Honestly though, he did  _not_  expect to be turned into a ferret, what more, by a  _teacher_  of all people. Then there was the fact that said teacher was teaching about the Unforgivables, specifically the Imperious, by  _using_  it on the  _students_! Either the man was insane or Dumbledore somehow really screwed up in recruitment of his teachers this time. Draco was guessing both.

The announcement that He-who-must-not-be-named was back at the end of the tournament was NOT something Draco had expected though. It DID explain his father's rather odd actions during the beginning of the school year though.

The dreams came back after that with full force, and more vividly than before. Of fighting Axel (He finally knew the name of the red haired man!) to the point of him fading, of fighting on top of a stained glass circle against someone who he acknowledged as his Other (He knew it was a classification of sorts. He just didn't understand what it was for.), of meeting a ghostly girl, a blue eyed blond in the abandoned mansion, promising to meet her again, of passing on his memories to the person he considered his Other, of seeing Axel once again, alive and well. Then there were the nightmares of the creatures of darkness, of a wasteland of fallen blades, of a desperate battle. And after that the process repeated.

The dreams made him more irritable than normal, leading to him having arguments with his father (Which never happened before! Never!), snapping back at the Malfoy portraits that scattered the hall way when they whispered about his change in attitude instead of ignoring them like he did in the past, and leaving the house more often for Sea-salt ice cream before heading to the roof of the Malfoy manor to watch the sunset.

It was only when Draco fainted on his birthday due to a lack of sleep and finally told Narcissa Malfoy about the reoccurring dreams he had been having that he even knew what was going on.

"I honestly wasn't expecting this to happen to you of all people, Draco. Then again, it does explain some of your stranger behaviors," his mother muttered, while looking through the set of books from the Black family library she had created copies of before she had gotten married.

"Mother, it keeps feeling like there are two sets of memories and emotions in me! And I can't seem to control how it affects me in the waking world!" Draco complained, his head pounding from the constant dreams since for some reason, Dreamless Sleep had zero effect in suppressing them.

Narcissa, finding the book that she had been looking for, handed the book to her son while explaining, "That's because your dream self is essentially you, Draco. You from a different life, but still you. The dreams are memories, while the emotions are yours. And don't worry too much, you aren't the first Black to go through this."

Taking the book titled  _ **Past Dreams, How to deal with Reincarnation**_  from his mother, Draco continued to rub his forehead while sighing, "Who else had to deal with such a headache and multitude of dreams…"

"Well, my cousin Sirius went through this as well, seeing that I helped him trash the Black Library searching for that book in your hands. Despite what the rest of the Wizarding World seem think, he cannot be a Death Eater, mainly because his past self's personality and his own prevent it from even happening," Narcissa laughed while Draco was staring wide eyed at his mother laughing off a mistake made by the Ministry. "Anyways, I'll take you to see the goblins once you read this book. They know more about the reincarnation process and will probably help you properly integrate the memories into you. Just keep this a secret from your father, since the changes may end up causing unfavorable outcomes depending on your past life. I'd rather not let him know about this since the Malfoy library had no books on reincarnation, and I would not want the Dark Lord to find out about such things either way."

And then Draco went through with the ritual in the end. Honestly, Roxas, when he finally woke up, wondered how his life would have eventually turned out if he had not been reincarnated as Draco. He probably would have ended up trying to break away from his father's hold after being given a near impossible mission to complete (In a parallel world, Draco Malfoy sneezed as he made plans to kill Dumbledore, while shivering at the sheer impossibility of the task). Better that he do it now than later, when he couldn't turn back.

Thus, Draco Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy had the longest argument in that entire month, to the point that the two ended up flinging spells at each other, spells that Draco normally didn't have the output for. The reason? Draco decided to question his father's beliefs of blood purity, and also mentioned that all that they had been doing for the past few years supporting Voldemort (Draco no longer feared that name. He had much worse things to fear, such as a never-ending world of darkness), was proving that they really represented their surname, which meant Bad Faith (Draco only knew because he had decided to translate it out of curiosity.).

It was made so much worse when Draco finally acted on some of his urges and went out to Madam Malkin's to get a set of his old outfit as Roxas and a copy of his old Organisation cloak. He ended up wearing said outfit just to anger the elder Malfoy. Narcissa just shook her head at her son's sudden rebellious streak and change in personality. From whining and arrogant with only his family name to back him up and no sense of self, to quiet anger with the magical strength to back him up, openly disrespecting his own father and actually having his own personality and not the one that his father had groomed him into having.

The rest of the time Draco had was spent avoiding any Death Eater meetings held at the Malfoy Household, and getting his mother's permission to dissolve any marriage contracts he held since he wouldn't accept any lover other than his Flame. And then when Potter somehow got himself in a disciplinary hearing, and Lucius (Draco slowly stopped acknowledging the man as his father.) had ranted at the dinner table about Potter somehow doing a color changing charm that caused his hair to turn silver. Draco had blinked in surprise at that, and made a note to keep an eye out for Potter at the station.

* * *

Seeing was believing. And Draco was openly staring in shock at the group of red heads that normally accompanied Potter, because among them was Potter, yet not. Draco shivered and wondered what the hell made him continuously bait Potter, because he really did not want his Other's pissed off silver haired boyfriend coming after him for revenge for all the shit he pulled during their school years.

Ditching his 'bodyguards', heading straight to the Prefects car for his briefing, and tuning out Parkinson's harping about dissolving the marriage contract between them on the way, he was mentally preparing himself to confront Potter, or should he say Riku, when he made the attempt to make amends and hope the other would not kill him.

He made sure to stay a distance away from Granger and Weasley when they made their way to the compartment he knew Riku would be. Draco snickered silently as he eavesdropped on their conversation about his personality change. His jaw dropped when he heard Naminé's voice coming from the compartment though. Then she probably sketched out his current appearance if the silence from the compartment was any indicator. Draco took the chance to barge into the compartment and sit next to Granger, dropping down with a great sigh.

Granger questioned his sanity, Weasley wanted to kick him out and got Silenced by Riku, Naminé was smiling away, while Longbottom had hidden himself away in fear. And when Riku questioned him, Dra – no, Roxas, just muttered, "Stupid father and his influence. Stupid Goyle and Crabbe. Stupid me. Can't believe I was such a bully. Rather make an enemy out of Slytherin than have you as an enemy, Potter."

He glared at the other, daring him to disagree with his decision for a truce. And then Naminé broke the tension by hugging him, "Nice to see you again, o one who holds the key to destiny!"

Recognizing the greeting, and knowing it would be a bad idea to drop names with so many not in the know, Roxas just let the younger blond hug him while replying, "Nice to see you again, o one who breaks and binds the chain of memories."

"WHAAAAAAAT?!"

Roxas winced at the sudden shout from the three other Gryffindors in the compartment, "Not so loud will you! Granger, you're right next to me!"

"M-Ma-Malfoy are you seriously offering a truce?! You of all people?!" Granger squeaked as she continued to stare at him in complete shock.

Sighing, Roxas just muttered, "I kind of have to, after all the shit I pulled the past four years, I'd rather not have Potter coming after me for revenge," He then stared at Riku and asked, "Well?"

The silver haired teen just gave a slow blink before laughing loudly. The rest of the compartment stared at him while Roxas scowled at the other for not taking him seriously.

Calming down from his laughter, Riku smirked and gave his reply, "What choice do I have? Your boyfriend will give me yet another punch in the face, no, will burn me alive if I dare to reject your offer for truce."

Granger gaped and mouthed 'Boyfriend?' in shock, Longbottom finally coming out of his first shock only to go into another one, while Weasley looked disgusted. Naminé just hummed happily at that little tidbit. Roxas though, lunged forward and grabbed Riku by the collar and began shaking him and asking what the hell he meant while Riku started laughing once again.

In his mind, Roxas was happy, his memories was the key that had allowed him to find one of his little sisters, his so called brother-in-law, and that same person revealed that his boyfriend was alive and somewhere in the Wizarding World. So what if it seemed that some sort of destiny was pulling them back together? As long as they walked the same path, they would remain together in the heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Memories - Again, how and when a reincarnation receives his memories form the past differs from person to person. Draco's only begin to surface after officially meeting Harry, and his dreams are very sporadic, popping in once in a while.  
> 2) Narcissa Malfoy - Now I actually like her. Especially her love for her son. That's why I'm making it that she's the one who helped Sirius with finding that book about reincarnation. She isn't too supportive of Voldie in this. Being Roxas' mother in this life, she'll be playing the supportive adult for Roxas here. Sirius and Remus are the ones for Riku.   
> 3) Attitude before memories - I'm trying to keep to canon Draco, with some hints of him having some sense of self even before he receives his memories. But he really does not like Riku in any form. Memory like dreams don't help.  
> 4) Arguing with Malfoy Senior - Roxas is a proud person who really likes his independence. And really loves being an unique individual. So he doesn't take Malfoy Senior's attempt to reign him in very well.  
> 5) Boyfriend - Yes, I intend to have SOME Akuroku in this fic.  
> 6) Brother-in-law - Roxas is technically Sora's more mature twin. That means Riku will be Roxas' brother-in-law. He will not accept the fact too easily though.
> 
> (Here's the remaining two chapters of CtDRitL that I currently have so far. The next chapter might take a while since I seem to be having a bit of a writer's block... Anyways, as usual, read and comment!)


	13. Re: Sorting Hat's Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Refer to first few chapters for it. I know I don't own anything but SOME of the ideas to the story.

_**Chapter 9: Re: Sorting Hat's Song** _

As they stepped off the platform, Riku could feel the disbelieving stares of almost everyone on him, Hedwig hooting in discomfort over the sudden attention on her owner. Understandable, considering just who he was standing next to without trying to outwit each other with insults for once. Roxas just ignored the looks, distracting himself by talking with Namine, which made the Ravenclaws gape at him in shock, Namine's eyes glinting with dark amusement at their disbelief as she discussed with him about potions.

The Slytherins sneered at the group, but Roxas knew that they too were shocked to the core. When Riku invited Roxas with him on the carriage, the Gryffindors looked on with disgust at Roxas, but were utterly confused that  _Harry Potter_  invited  _Draco Malfoy_  on a carriage that contained a muggleborn, Loony Lovegood and the Boy-Who-Lived, and Draco  _accepted!_

But of course, no one outside of the four in the carriage knew that the somewhat peaceful alliance was not exactly perfect.

"What do you mean you can't see what's pulling the carriage? They're right in front of us, Hermione!"

"Harry, I'm telling you there isn't anything there! The carriages have always been pulled by nothing!"

"Thestrals."

"Yes, Luna?"

"The carriages are pulled by Thestrals, Granger. Only those who've seen death can see them."

"And you're telling me you can, Malfoy?"

"Nope."

"Then how the hell do I know that you said is true?!"

"We were TOLD by our parents before we came to the school. Honestly, this is why purebloods hate muggleborns. You all have a habit of automatically assuming everything you see or hear is true!"

"I DO NOT!"

"Hermione? House elves?"

"That is different Harry! It's slavery!"

"It's only like that when families are abusive towards the house elves. Dobby was treated like that by my crazy aunt, so getting clothes saved him and he probably bonded to the nearest wizard who would have treated him well."

"And that would mean… Me?"

"You… You were the one who tricked my father into freeing Dobby?"

"That's rather cunning of you Harry."

"Understandably so, Luna."

"And why's that, Potter?"

"I am a snake in the lion's den."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"YOU MEAN YOU COULD HAVE BEEN IN SLYTHERIN?! WHAT THE HELL DROVE YOU AWAY?!"

"You, Hagrid, Ron, overall opinion of Slytherin."

"Oh. But still…"

"I wonder when the topic of conversation changed from Thestrals to Harry's placement in Gryffindor, Hermione."

"You and me both, Luna…"

And as they got off the carriage, majority of the students sighed in relief when they heard Riku and Roxas arguing over which house was better. A sense of normality washed over them when the two split and headed over to their respective tables when they arrived at the Great Hall, glaring at teach other. All the houses were still slightly tense though, looking at Riku warily, this time due to the smear campaign the Daily Prophet had going on.

Riku ignored the looks though, choosing to stare at the staff table. Ignoring Dumbledore, he noted that Snape and Professor Sprout were there as usual, and so were all the elective teachers except Hagrid. He didn't think much of it, though Ron could be heard questioning the half-giant's absence. But the one thing that had caught his eye was Professor Flitwick giving cautious glances at the one in the Defence Against Dark Arts seat. Turning his gaze towards said seat, Riku choked loudly.

"Harry?" Hermione turned to stare at him.

Getting a hold of himself, Riku muttered to the bushy haired girl, "The person in the DADA seat, if I recall correctly, is Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary of the Minister. And one of the few who voted me guilty even with evidence at the hearing."

Hermione then turned her gaze at the table and narrowed her eyes when she caught sight of the cardigan wearing woman, "You don't think – "

She never got to finish her question, since the doors to the Great Hall opened and Professor McGonagall led the first years in while carrying the stool and the Sorting Hat. Seeing the rather nervous looks on the faces of the first years, Riku gave a smile, recalling his own nervousness when he did not know how he was going to be sorted. And as the brim of the Sorting Hat opened to sing, Riku decided to tune most of it out, knowing it would probably describe the four houses. But at the last three verses, Riku's eyes went wide in shock, as the Hat had sung something he had not been expecting at all.

_Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_  
_the warning the World's Heart shows,_  
_for our Hogwarts is in danger_  
_from Dark, external foes_

_And we must unite inside her_  
_or we'll crumble within our Hearts_  
_Find the ones, the Hearts of Rebirth_  
_the children of Light and Dark_

_Find the Sky, Find the Land_  
_They'll bring us together from Heart's within_  
_I have told you, I have warned you..._  
_let the Sorting now begin._

The Hat became motionless once more and a scattered applause broke out, since most of the students were busy muttering and whispering about the last few verses. And as he clapped, Riku exchanged glances with Roxas and Namine, knowing that the two had caught on as to what the Hat was telling them to do. Hermione was about to ask Nearly Headless Nick about the Hat giving warnings before she was stopped by Professor McGonagall's glare at the entire student body , warning them to keep silent.

The sorting began, and applauses filled each house whenever one got sorted in to their own. Soon, all the first years were sorted, and Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat to greet them all.

"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore, his voice echoing throughout the Great Hall, "Welcome! To our old hands - welcome back! There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

The students laughed appreciatively at Dumbledore's effort to break the tense atmosphere and began to eat, quite clatters from utensils hitting the plates and murmurs from students discussing about their holidays and about the Sorting Hat's warning soon replacing the laughter.

Hermione though immediately went back to questioning Nearly Headless Nick, prompting Riku to help take some food for her, knowing that by the time she got through with her interrogation of the ghost, most of the foods would have been replaced with dessert.

"So what were you saying before the Sorting?" Hermione asked the ghost. "About the Hat giving warnings?"

"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Nick, who seemed glad that Hermione had given him a distraction from watching them eat, particularly Ron, who was sitting a few seats down from theirs. "Yes, I have heard the Hat give several warnings before, always at times when it detects periods of great danger for the school. And always, of course, its advice is the same: stand together, be strong from within. Although…"

"Although?" Hermione pressed, wondering why the ghost was looking rather confused.

"This is, however, the first time the Hat has ever given us prophetic hints as to how to unite the Houses. It's rather different," the ghost muttered.

Hermione grimaced at that, and Riku knew why. She never did believe in fortune telling and prophesising the future, and Divination only reinforced that disbelief. Shaking her head, she changed her line of questioning, "So how does it know the school is in danger anyways?"

"I have no idea," said Nearly Headless Nick. "Of course, it lives in Dumbledore's office, so I daresay it picks things up there."

"And it wants all the houses to be friends?" Riku jumped in, giving a quick glance towards the Slytherin table, where Roxas was sitting  _far_  away from his usual followers, namely Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle.

Nick just smiled, "I'd say you've already taken the first step to doing so, if what I heard from the some of the students earlier was correct."

Riku just gave a snort, "Malfoy and I only have a standing truce. It's not like the rest of Slytherin are going to jump up and declare a truce with us Gryffindors because of that."

"I wouldn't dismiss the possibility if I were you," said Nick reprovingly. "Peaceful co-operation is the key to settling such longstanding rivalries. We ghosts, though we belong to separate houses, maintain links of friendship. The Bloody Baron and I, despite the competitiveness between our Houses, rarely have arguments even if we do tend to side with our own Houses first. You just have to find a common ground."

"So the Hat is suggesting for us to have some level of unity despite the competition between our Houses, like a friendly rivalry then?" Hermione asked, having taken the time to eat the food that Riku had placed on her plate while he took over the conversation with the ghost.

"Exactly," the ghost nodded. "Now if you may excuse me, I have some first years to introduce myself to." With that, Nick readjusted his feathered hat and floated off.

"Well, that was informative," Hermione muttered as she began to finish off her plate of food, glancing at Riku in thanks for filling her plate. Riku nodded back and slowly nibbled on the treacle tart, having finished his steak while Hermione was chatting with Nick.

When all the students had finished eating and the noise level in the Hall was starting to creep upwards again, Dumbledore got to his feet once more. Talking ceased immediately as all turned to face the Headmaster. Riku once again began to tune out the notices despite Hermione's quite jabs at him to listen. He knew that it would mostly consist of warning the first years of the Forbidden Forests, re-warning some of the older students about said forest, himself included, and the rules that the caretaker, Mr Filch, had. The only time he paid any attention, was the introduction to the teachers. And either way it was hard  _not_  to pay attention considering what happened.

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," Dumbledore announced.

Riku frowned. At least half of the school was not clapping and even then, most were rather unenthusiastic. Slytherin had barely clapped at all, with only Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle, and some of the first years clapping. Hermione herself looked rather panicked, considering Dumbledore had not announced if Hagrid was returning. But Riku was rather curious about the Slytherins' reactions, and kept an eye on them while he began to tune out Dumbledore's speech again.

"Hem, hem."

That wasn't Dumbledore. And Roxas' eyes were rather angry despite looking uninterested now that he looked carefully. In fact, majority of Slytherin looked rather upset. Jerking his head up, Riku blinked when he saw Professor Umbridge stand and Professor Dumbledore sit. Hermione herself looked on in disbelief.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."

Riku, and a few others visibly winced at the high-pitched, girly voice. If her attitude and looks didn't already make anyone hate her, her voice would definitely make them loath her.

"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!"

Riku looked at the rest of the Houses, having already gauged Slytherin's response to the new teacher. None of the faces he could see looked happy. On the contrary, they all looked rather taken-aback at being addressed as though they were five years old. The Ravenclaws in particular looked rather insulted considering her tone of voice could easily be mistaken as considering them idiots that they had to be treated as children. Riku could easily see Namine trying hard not to bolt from her seat in an attempt to get away from the girly voice and all the pink.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"

"Fat chance," Riku muttered. This brought out several muffled laughs from those seated around him.

But as the speech continued, it became blindingly obvious to Riku that the Ministry was attempting to interfere with Hogwarts. And at the end of the speech, Hermione, who had also been listening, confirmed it when he asked with a grim nod. Of course before he could begin discussing with her anything, Hermione had to lead the first years to their dorm, thus leaving him to head back to the dorms first.

* * *

Not getting the password first was a mistake. Good thing Neville remembered it for once and had been close behind him.

But Riku had not expected most of the Gryffindors outside of the prefects, first years and Ginny (which was odd) to be gathered in the Common Room gesturing for him to sit with them. Sighing, Riku decided to indulge them and asked once he sat down, "So what's this about?"

Awkward glances were exchanged, and in the end Angelina voiced what they were all thinking, "Look Harry, most of us were watching you and Malfoy earlier-"

"And some of us heard you talking about a truce between the two of you," Alicia continued.

"And?" Riku looked at them, gesturing them to continue. Seamus then took over the conversation.

"Look Harry, some of us are still sceptical about what happened last year, especially with the Prophet calling you and Dumbledore liars."

Riku scowled and stood up, "If that's what this is about, I'm leaving."

"NO WAIT!" Dean shouted, while he cuffed Seamus over the head for mentioning the topic. Riku immediately sat back down, causing all of them to blink. Dean just sighed and continued, "It isn't about that. It's just that with the current situation, where no one knows who is right and wrong, we want to know what possessed you to make a truce with Malfoy of all people."

"Um, guys?" Neville raised his hand, prompting the room to turn to him. Nervous with all the attention on him, Neville quickly spoke up, "Malfoy was the one to offer the truce, not Harry."

Immediately, Riku braced himself for the resounding shouts of disbelief that flooded the room, startling the first years that just entered.

"Are you crazy Harry?!""And you accepted?!""What the hell, man!""Malfoy actually offered?!"

"QUIET!"

The sudden shout that over powered their own startled the gathered Gryffindors. Nervously they all turned to look at the rather scared first years, Ron backing away to the rooms, and a rather incensed Hermione.

"What. Is. Going. On. Here," Hermione growled.

Hoping to calm her down, the Weasley Twins quickly replied, "Hermione, don't be mad –"

"We were just asking Harry here – "

"About his little truce with Malfoy."

"We didn't know that Malfoy initiated the truce,"

"That's why we were shouting."

"We were just surprised!"

Hermione blinked, before shaking her head, "That's what all the noise was about? Give me a moment and I'll join you."

Not daring to disobey her, the gathered group, Riku included, sat in their circle tensely as they waited. Soon, Hermione returned and sat next to Riku and Neville and said, "I support the truce."

Silence filled the room. None of them had been expecting it, even Riku had been expecting some protesting from Hermione regarding the truce since she didn't seem to bring up the topic on the carriage to school. Parvati was the one to question her reasoning, "Hermione, why do you even support it? I thought you disliked Malfoy!"

"I admit I was somewhat sceptical about it at first," Hermione frowned. "But it's what Nearly Headless Nick said that convinced me to accept the truce as it is."

Colin was the first to voice out his confusion, "What do you mean Hermione?"

Sighing, Hermione explained, "You all heard the Hat right?" Cue nods of confirmation. "I asked Nick about it, and he said that the Hat  _always_  gave a warning like this in periods of great danger.  _Always_. Normally I wouldn't believe it, but if it had given warnings such as this before, then a pattern is there."

Most of the younger years exchanged confused looks, but some, like the twins and Neville, nodded in agreement. Hermione then continued, "Then wouldn't it be best to follow the instructions it gave us? Even if you don't believe that what happened last year was true, at least believe that the Hat's previous warnings had some merit, or else Hogwarts wouldn't be standing today!"

Riku had to give it to Hermione. At least three quarters of the room understood her explanation regarding why it would be best to approve of the truce. Only some of the younger years seemed rather indecisive, and so did Seamus.

Deciding it would be best to conclude their discussion, Riku spoke up, "Look, this truce with Malfoy doesn't mean I'm expecting all of you to become all buddy-buddy with the Slytherins alright? What Hermione is asking of you right now is to understand and keep in mind that there is a possibility we can make a truce with Slytherin," Understanding nods filled the room. He then gave an amused smile, "In the mean time, let's try to keep hostilities regarding House rivalries to just Quidditch. I think that's one thing all the Houses will have a hard time putting aside their differences for."

With that statement, the rest of the Gryffindors burst out into laughter, before dispersing back to their rooms, shouts of 'goodnight' filling the room as the formerly tense atmosphere lifted. Standing up, Riku made his way to the boy's dorms, waving to Hermione as he called out, "Thanks Hermione, I don't think this would have been settled quickly if you didn't jump in."

The bushy haired girl just stared at the green eyed teen's back, before shaking her head, muttering about how Harry normally didn't like someone else taking on his problems, and heading up the stairs to the girl's dorms.

* * *

In the Slytherin dorms, Roxas was currently dealing with the same issue as Riku. Having to convince the fifth year Slytherins that the truce was beneficial to them. Out of the group, only Parkinson was vehemently arguing that the truce was a crazy idea. But she kept asking about their former marriage contract as well, and when she noticed the rest of the Slytherins ignoring her in favour of discussing about the truce, she stormed off with Crabbe, Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode following after her.

"So what's this about anyway, Malfoy?" Daphne Greengrass asked. "Surely you know your father will kill you for initiating the truce with Potter."

"That man can go die for all I care. He's a disgrace to his own name and he's only proving that our family name is true," Roxas growled, causing the Slytherins to stare at him in disbelief. Malfoy calling his own father a disgrace?

The blond sighed, "Look, I'm probably going to be cutting ties with him soon, so it really doesn't matter what his opinion is about what I do with my life. So what if I decide to call a truce between Potter and me? He doesn't have any say in it! And it's not like I'm going to support the Light either because of this truce."

"And what exactly is the terms of the truce between the two of you?" Blaise asked.

"I avoid harming or insulting anyone Potter interacts with on a daily basis, particularly Longbottom and Granger. In exchange he won't be as prejudiced to us Slytherins. But I'm sure we will tend to get into enough arguments to hide this fact from the rest of the school. This way I can maintain a neutral standing with the war even with the truce," Roxas explained.

The explanation had most of the Slytherins looking at him with varying expressions. Daphne and Blaise both had slightly approving looks on their faces, considering both were from families that were of neutral standing in the previous war. Thus, they understood that the truce was his way of saying that he wasn't just going to side with either side of the current war they knew was brewing. Tracy Davis herself felt a twinge of familiarity at the way Draco was rebelling against his father, her eyes flashing blue before fading back to brown as she kept her face expressionless.

However, Theodore Nott, who for once decided to join in on their discussion, looked rather nervous and decided to speak up, "But your father already promised to have you join the Death Eaters, hasn't he? At least that was what my father told me."

The snarl Roxas gave had the group recoiling in shock, especially since they knew that Draco Malfoy usually had a good hold on his emotions. "Do not remind me!"

Taking a deep breath, Roxas calmed himself before asking the group, "I need to ask if you, as the few allies I have in Slytherin (because Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle don't count), will decide to break it off with me because of this truce and my decision to not rely on my father anymore."

Turning to look at each other, Daphne decided to speak, "Allies, don't you mean friends?"

"Eh?" Roxas blinked in shock.

"Look Malfoy, just because you've been arrogant in the past, doesn't mean we can't see the changes. The old Malfoy wouldn't have asked for our support or even explain his decisions!" Daphne exclaimed.

Theodore then continued, "And just because you obviously don't support the Dark Lord, doesn't mean that we will cut ties with you that easily."

Seeing the rest of the group nod in agreement, Roxas could only give a smile, before it turned into a sneaky grin as his fellow Slytherins began making plans to ensure that word of the truce never got out to their parents.

Unnoticed, Tracy looked at him, frowning in confusion, as unfamiliar images of his current self flashed into her mind, of him dressed in a black trench coat.

* * *

Later that night, a snow white owl flew into the Ministry of Magic Headquarters, circling about in the air, prompting several stares from late shift ministry workers who recognised the owl. However, most didn't notice it drop a scroll onto the desk of one Percy Weasley before flying off. A scroll that unrolled once it hit the desk, revealing its contents to surprised red head.

_Dancing Flames,_

_Have met up with Wave. Destiny is also awake, but I won't tell you who he is yet, since it's a surprise. Others confirmed awake are Wolf as Cloud and Dog as Zack. Also, Hat made mention to World's Heart during sorting. Verses are in the next page. But it seems like we're going to have to find Sky since the Hat confirmed that he is around somewhere. Btw, is there any other reason your bosses got involved with the schooling other than sabotaging our education?_

_Way to Dawn_

_P.S. Any hope for you to take time off during the next Hogsmeade Weekend? If so, meet me in the Three Broomsticks._

And elsewhere, a scroll containing similar contents bounced off Sirius' head as the snowy owl gave an irritated hoot and flew off after getting her payback from being chased round in circles by the man's Animagus form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had several problems wrapping up Roxas' part of the story, so this chapter was actually delayed until today. Short summary of events below:
> 
> 1) Sorting Hat's Song has changed. Small changes, and it may sound a little strange, but to those of you who have been following this fic since I began it earlier this year (Wow. Almost a year already?) it's a hint of what's about to come.  
> 2) Riku is still kinda miffed over the whole Daily Prophet calling him a liar, so Harry's personality made him react badly to Seamus, as usual. However, with the truce, Hermione giving support via the Sorting Hat's warnings, and some elaboration regarding said warning and what to do, Gryffindor will have to grin and bear with the truce between Harry and Draco.  
> 3) Roxas' side of things was much harder to write, since I got several things wrong during the planning of the chapter that was made known in that part, and I had no idea how to write the Snakes. So forgive me if the snakes are OOC.  
> 4) Next reincarnation hinted. But who will it be this time? (Their part will take longer due to certain things.)  
> 5) Last is informing Axel and Zack about what's going on at Hogwarts. Lightly coded. Even though I actually doubt Umbridge had a plan to screen letters right on the very first day.
> 
> I hoped you enjoyed the rather long chapter! The next update hopefully will be much faster than this.
> 
> Read And Comment!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	14. Classes Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the series that were used for inspiration for this fic.

_**Chapter 10: Classes Begin** _

_Great Hall, Breakfast_

Harry was glaring.

Harry was glaring in a way that if someone looked into his eyes, they could easily see dark fire threatening to burn them.

Hermione, for once, wasn't even sure why he had been so incensed.

It couldn't have been Ron and Ginny, and she knew that ever since his appearance changed, the youngest of the Weasley brood tended to set him off. But both had taken to avoid being too near to Harry ever since Harry tossed a fireball at Ginny after the fifth time she complained about his changed appearance.

It couldn't have been the mention of the Daily Prophet's lies about him. Outside of a rather clipped tone whenever he was asked about it, Hermione knew it didn't really bother him that much. Four years of being ostracised due to rumours helped.

Then, she looked at what he had been glaring at. His timetable. Well, considering the classes that were listed were all that he either found boring, had a teacher who was sure to hate him, or had a teacher who constantly predicted his death, Hermione couldn't really blame him for being irritated. Though, she could have sworn she heard him muttering about hoping to get some of Fred and George's new products just to get out of a class. Which one, she didn't know.

She took to herself to observe the silver haired teen, just for that day.

* * *

_History of Magic_

While Hermione listened to Binns drone on about the Goblin wars, she couldn't help but glance at Harry in surprise, as instead of falling asleep like everyone else had, he had opted to open his History of Magic text and take notes from the book itself. Despite not liking the fact that he wasn't listening to Binns himself, Hermione smiled seeing him make an effort to study for once.

Another thing she didn't expect was Harry completely ignoring Cho Chang as she approached him. He walked passed her like she wasn't even there. Hermione just wondered when Harry's crush on the girl faded.

* * *

_Potions_

Potions had gone almost exactly as she had expected.

Almost being the key word here.

Professor Snape had criticized the Gryffindors and picked on Harry and Neville. That was normal. But what wasn't normal was Harry not visibly reacting to the insult, and most of the Slytherins not snickering at Harry's misfortune of being picked on by their Head of House like they normally did.

What was even stranger was Harry actually making some head way in his potion, getting a dull silver mist, which was close enough to what Professor Snape required for the potion, leaving little room for criticism from the Potion's Professor for once. Hermione did notice several fallen and damaged potion ingredients on the floor circling Harry's cauldron, and several glares one Pansy Parkinson gave to said circle of ingredients. So it was possible that most of the time Harry's practical work had been ruined was due to sabotage by the Slytherins. Which led to her wondering:

_What had Harry done to prevent this from happening this round?_

Shaking her head, she quickly bottled her finished potion and handed it in. As she packed her equipment away, Hermione blinked as she spotted an ingredient flying towards Harry's cauldron. Just when she stepped forward to stop it, Hermione felt the temperature suddenly increase and watched as said ingredient was eaten by quickly vanishing ball of flame. Glancing in the direction where the flame appeared from, she tried her best to hide her surprise as she saw Malfoy's hand lower while making it seem like he was packing up. She then turned back to see the ashes of the burnt ingredient bouncing off a shimmering barrier of hexagons that disappeared as soon as it appeared.

By the time she looked to see if Harry had noticed, he had already bottled up his potion and handed it in to the Potions Master for checking. All Hermione could do was take note of the odd barrier and Malfoy's ability to use a wandless fire spell similar to what Harry did when he revealed his changed appearance.

* * *

_Great Hall, Lunch_

Harry was glaring again. This time at a book. While Hermione would normally be offended that he was even glaring at it, she understood his reasons, considering she caught him reading said book during the earlier break.

Defensive Magical Theory.  _ **Theory.**_

She had asked about the reliability of the book at Flourish and Blotts when she first entered the Wizarding World. All the manager said was to not even bother with the book unless she wanted to avoid casting spells for the rest of her life. And when she had asked Luna about the book on the carriage the day before as Harry and Malfoy argued, all Luna said with a smile was, "I used the book to feed the flames of my fireplace. It's worthless for students above first year."

Hermione read the book, and she was honestly fine with reading theory. Her only issue was the largely pacifist/cowardly manner the book detailed defensive magic. All she could hope for was that the teacher would demonstrate the spells and manoeuvres detailed, and allow them practice.

Her hopes were dashed when she found out that the Ministry had interfered. She could only guess what the pink wearing woman was going to teach them.

* * *

_Defence Against Dark Arts_

Hermione blinked when she noticed Harry missing from the room. Shaking her head and wondering if he was running late, she made her way over to her seat. She then noticed another empty chair, this one within Slytherin. She saw Parkinson whining, and easily deduced that Malfoy was either running late, or skipping the class entirely.

Professor Umbridge had already been seated at the teacher's desk, wearing the fluffy pink cardigan of the night before and the black velvet bow on top of her head. When no one else entered the room for a minute, the woman frowned as she stared at the empty seats, but then gave a fake smile as she greeted the class.

"Well, good afternoon!"

A few people mumbled 'good afternoon' in reply, but Hermione could hear someone muttering, "Good afternoon my ass. There's nothing good about it today."

Turning her head to see who had muttered that out, Hermione looked in surprise as she saw smouldering blue eyes set in the face of one Tracy Davis, blink and turn back to slightly bewildered brown. Deciding it was probably not important Hermione turned back just in time for Professor Umbridge to ask them to repeat their greeting like nursery school children. Everyone had a frown as they complied.

"There, now," said Professor Umbridge in a sickeningly sweet voice. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

Gloomy looks were exchanged around the classroom; the order 'wands away' had never led to an interesting lesson for most of them. Even Hermione herself found DADA dull without any practical work. Reluctantly taking out her quill and paper, Hermione knew that complying for now was probably for the best.

Taking out her own wand, Professor Umbridge tapped the blackboard sharply with it, words appearing at once.

**Defence Against the Dark Arts**

**A Return to Basic Principles**

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your OWL year."

"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centred, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."

She tapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by the ' **Course Aims** '.

**Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.**

**Learning to recognise situations in which defensive magic can legally be used**

**Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.**

For a couple of minutes the room was full of the sound of scratching quills on parchment. But as people were writing, all Hermione could think off was simply, ' _Where is the practical aspect of the course work? All I see is theory! What sort of Defence Against Dark Arts professor intends to avoid practical work in class?!_ '

When everyone had copied down 'Professor' Umbridge's three course aims she asked, "Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class.

"I think we'll try that again," frowned 'Professor' Umbridge. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply, "Yes, Professor Umbridge", or "No, Professor Umbridge". So, has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

"Yes, Professor Umbridge," rang through the room. Hermione could easily picture the annoyed looks on their faces. She probably had the same look as well.

"Good," said 'Professor' Umbridge. "I should like you to turn to page five and read "Chapter One, Basics for Beginners". There will be no need to talk."

As soon as she said that, Hermione raised her hand. She didn't care that she was attracting attention. All she wanted was for some of her questions to be answered.

The first to notice was Neville. He had immediately given a panicked gesture for her to just start reading, but Hermione stubbornly refused to let her question go unanswered by the 'professor' up in front.

Soon, the Slytherins had begun to notice her raised hand. Parkinson had snickered, probably at how futile such gestures was at getting the 'professor's attention. However, the other Slytherins took notice of her unopened textbook and immediately paid closer attention to her. Soon enough the rest of the class took notice and 'Professor' Umbridge seemed to decide that she could ignore the situation no longer.

"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" she asked Hermione, as though she had only just noticed her.

"Not about the chapter, no," said Hermione.

"Well, we're reading just now," smiled 'Professor' Umbridge, showing her small pointed teeth. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class."

"I've got a query about your course aims," Hermione stated with a slight frown at the 'professor's attempt at dismissing her question. But said question had caught her attention.

'Professor' Umbridge raised her eyebrows. "And your name is?"

"Hermione Granger," said Hermione with a slight twitch. The woman could have easily checked their seating arrangements for her name.

"Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully" said 'Professor' Umbridge in a voice of determined sweetness.

"Well, I don't," said Hermione bluntly, rather annoyed at the woman's attempt at getting her to just drop the subject. Time for her to bring up the topic that she knew would lead to a heated discussion. "There's nothing written up there about using defensive spells."

That caused a large majority of the class to look over the course aims and realize her point. Quiet murmurs broke out, but the 'professor' ignored it.

"Using defensive spells?" 'Professor' Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"

"We're not going to use magic?" Ronald exclaimed loudly.

"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr - ?"

"Weasley," said Ronald, thrusting his hand into the air.

'Professor' Umbridge, smiling still more widely, turned her back on him. Hermione immediately raised her hand once more. 'Professor' Umbridge's eyes narrowed as she addressed Hermione.

"Yes, Miss Granger? You wanted to ask something else?"

"Yes," said Hermione. "Surely the whole point of Defence Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"

"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?" asked 'Professor' Umbridge, in her falsely sweet voice.

"No, but – " Hermione started, but she was stopped before she could continue.

"Well then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the "whole point" of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new programme of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way – "

"So you are telling me that there is no chance of being attacked by anyone or anything in this school? This classroom?" Hermione growled out.

"Miss Granger, do not interrupt me," 'Professor' Umbridge promptly attempted to continue, but found several other people had their hands up, too.

"And your name is?" Professor Umbridge said to Dean.

"Dean Thomas."

"Well, Mr Thomas?"

"Well, it's like Hermione said, isn't it?" said Dean. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk free."

"I repeat," said Professor Umbridge, smiling in a very irritating fashion at Dean, "Do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"

"No, but – "

'Professor' Umbridge talked over him. "I do not wish to criticise the way things have been run in this school," she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed - not to mention," she gave a nasty little laugh, "extremely dangerous half-breeds."

At the last statement, Hermione couldn't take it anymore. To hell with laying low and gathering information. The Toad had overstepped her boundaries by insulting a teacher that she truly respected with all her heart. As soon as she made one more oversight, Hermione was leaving her classroom and never returning.

"If you mean Professor Lupin," piped up Dean angrily, "he was the best we ever – "

"Hand, Mr Thomas! As I was saying - you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day – "

"No we haven't!" Hermione snarled, loosing her composure "We just – "

"Your hand is not up, Miss Granger!"

' _Hand not up my ass! You just want to avoid my questions!_ ' Hermione fumed as she put up her hand. The Toad turned away from her.

"It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you."

"Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn't he?" said Dean hotly. "Mind you, we still learned loads."

' _At least Dean's giving some good points,_ ' Hermione cheered mentally while she noticed the Toad attempting to ignore the evidence by stating that his hand wasn't up

The Toad continued, "Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?" she added, staring at Parvati, whose hand had just shot up.

"Parvati Patil, and isn't there a practical bit in our Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL? Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually do the counter-curses and things?"

' _Nice one Parvati! Let's see her worm her way out of this one!_ ' Hermione smiled at the Gryffindor Patil twin's quick thinking.

"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions," said the Toad dismissively.

"Without ever practising them beforehand?" said Parvati incredulously. "Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be during our exam?"

"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough using them for the first time should be simple."

"'Theory has no place on the battlefield'."

The soft voice that echoed through the room had everyone staring at the speaker. Daphne Greengrass just stared at her best friend in shock as she spoke up. "Tracy?! What the hell are you doing? Sit down now and stop acting like a bloody Gryffindor!" The Slytherin girl exclaimed.

The Toad however had a large frown on her face. "Excuse me young lady, but can you please repeat what you just said?"

"I said, 'Theory has no place on the battlefield. What good is theory in the real world without practicing it in and out of battlefield conditions?'" Tracy explained, her eyes glowing blue once more as Hermione paid attention. "Someone I knew once told me this. And he was a spell researcher first and foremost. If a researcher says this, who am I to question the reliability of his statement?"

"This is school, Ms Davis, not the real world," the Toad said softly.

"So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting for us out there?" Hermione hissed.

"There is nothing waiting out there, Ms Granger."

"Oh, really?" she growled. It was normally very hard for anyone to rile her up like this, but the Toad just kept pushing her buttons today.

"Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?" enquired the Toad in a horribly honeyed voice, daring her to mention Voldemort. Hermione knew she shouldn't mention it, but with how things were going, she was slowly running out of options. Tracy took the choice out of her hands, though Daphne kept trying to stop the short haired girl from speaking out further.

"I can list several. They may be in hiding, but the Death Eaters are still around. Last year's appearance at the Quidditch World Cup was proof enough." Several nods followed Tracy's statement. "Then there are dangerous magical creatures. Are you trying to deny their existence in our world?"

Hermione held her breath when the Toad became silent at Tracy's reasoning. The Slytherin girl's eyes had finally returned to its original brown, though the defiant look was still there. Then the Toad said, in her softest, most sweetly girlish voice, "Come here, Ms Davis."

The class saw the girl make her way up to the front. But when the Toad took out a roll of parchment and scribbled a note on it, telling Tracy to take it to Professor Snape, Hermione snapped.

"So you are sending her to her Head of House just because she spoke her own mind about our so called 'course aims'?" Grabbing her books and stuffing it into her bag, Hermione stormed her way to the front, grabbed a piece of the pink parchment and spelled a copy of what was written on Tracy's parchment on to it before making her way to the door, grabbing Tracy's hand at the same time before snarling at the Toad, "All you've done is avoid the problem at hand. If you won't try to be a proper teacher, then we will teach ourselves. I will not set one foot into this classroom for the rest of this year!"

Slamming the door to the classroom, Hermione dragged a rather dazed and slightly struggling Tracy Davis in the direction of the library.

"Ouch! Granger, you're gripping too hard! Quit dragging me around!" Tracy winced in pain.

Snapping out of her enraged haze, Hermione's eyes widened and she apologised as she let go of Tracy's wrist, "I'm so sorry!"

Rubbing her wrists, Tracy just sighed, before gesturing in the direction of the library, "I guess you're probably heading straight to the library?"

Blushing at how obvious she was, Hermione just gave an embarrassed nod. Sighing once again, the short haired Slytherin continued walking, "Come on. Potter and Malfoy should be there right now, considering their rather obvious absence from class."

Blinking in surprise, the bushy haired witch followed the Slytherin girl to the library, and true to her words, both Harry and Malfoy were seated at one of the tables, their silver and blond hairs easily standing out. Several books that Hermione recognised as Defence Against Dark Arts books recommended for fifth years from their previous years also covered the table. The two boys themselves were in a hushed discussion, gesturing to the opened books on the table.

Tracy then stepped forward and cleared her throat, causing both boys to jump in surprise. Malfoy had a scowl when he saw Hermione though, "Davis, why is Granger here with you?"

Tracy herself scowled at him, causing the blond to back off in surprise, "We both got kicked out of DADA, well, at least I did. Granger walked herself out. That  _toad_   _woman_ asked me to tell the both of you that you were serving detention for the entire week. Malfoy and I with Professor Snape, and Potter with  _her._  Granger, I have no idea what the hell is your punishment."

Harry just stared, his new blueish green eyes wide with surprise, "You actually walked out of a class Hermione?" He then shook his head, "Nevermind. I forgot you did the same for Divination."

Hermione just huffed, pushed aside some off the books and took out her parchment and quill, before siting herself next to Harry. Opposite her, Tracy did the same, and sat down next to Malfoy. Hermione then asked as she took one of the books off the table, "Mind if we join you here next time there is DADA? I know studying here would be somewhat more productive than in class with that  _toad_."

Harry snorted in quiet laughter, "You've already invited yourselves into this study group, so why not?" Malfoy just shook his head and went back to looking through the Fifth Year text that had been recommended during their own Third Year.

And thus the entire last period of the day was spent in the library for the four of them. While it was obvious the good mood wasn't going to last thanks to Harry's detention and Hermione's own still unknown punishment for walking out of class, Hermione somehow found that day rather productive.

But she honestly had to wonder…

_Why did Tracy Davis' eyes keep turning blue in highly emotional situations, and what were the wandless magics Harry and Malfoy both seem to be able to use?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished with this LONG chapter! As you can see, majority of the chapter was from Hermione's POV, and portions of the debate with the Toad was taken straight from the book, excluding Harry and including the Slytherins in the classroom. I might as well list the key points and explain things.
> 
> Hermione's POV – 'Mione needs love! Thus, this is a heavily Hermione centred chapter, focusing on her observations and her own involvement in the little debate. Though, she no longer worships authority figures and hence is a little more aggressive in her verbal fight against the Toad.
> 
> Schedule – Used the HP lexicon for this since I needed to know the breaks and periods. Mixed them up a little in my outline notes.
> 
> Riku taking notes – Well… this is Riku we're talking about. The most mature of the Destiny Island Trio. I'm not surprised if he was the top of all his classes prior to his literal descent into darkness.
> 
> Potions class – Sabotage is the most possible reason as to why Harry seems to fail at potions despite being a good cook as implied. Thus, as Riku, he finds a way to counter it. Draco is more than able to help out discretely, but his actions do catch Hermione's eye.
> 
> Reading ahead – Again, Riku is the mature one of the Destiny Island Trio, so this should be expected.
> 
> Hermione criticizes book – 'Mione is a bookworm, but even SHE knows good books from bad.
> 
> DADA class debate – Hermione and Tracy both take over Harry in provoking the Toad. Hermione is also a WHOLE lot more aggressive.
> 
> Tracy Davis – Most of you already know she's Xion. But as we don't really know Tracy's appearance, let's give her black hair, brown eyes, and Xion's facial structure.
> 
> Blue Eyes – Just a sign that she's waking up soon.
> 
> "Theory has no place on the battlefield…" – I'd like to think that Xion spent a lot of time with the other Org XIII members, particularly the Castle Oblivion Team's Zexion. He's a researcher, but also a strategist from what I can tell from the old CoM cutscenes, particularly in his fight with Riku. Zexion won't appear though (If he does, I'll end up adding Demyx just to complete the two)
> 
> Library – They'll be there… for now.
> 
> As usual, comment please! Also, HAPPY 2015! (Next chapter will take a while…)
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	15. Lines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahem. Really late chapter because of four things – Owari no Seraph (I have a new HP reincarnation fic crossed with this series), One Piece (Finally got to watching the anime after so many years), Dreaming Guidance (My new HPKH crossover over on FFn), and tests and assignments.
> 
> I was actually done with this weeks ago, but I kept on writing until I realized today that the other part belonged to the next chapter. Whoops. It's a little shorter than my usual chapters though due to the topic. I'm glad that there are people still reading this fic though. Thanks you guys!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the series that were used for inspiration for this fic.

_**Chapter 11: Lines** _

Riku sighed as he made his way down to the office of one Professor Umbridge. He had intended on skipping the detention, but what happened during dinner convinced him to attend at least  _one_  session, if only to see what that woman had planned for him.

_~Flashback~_

_Dinner in the Great Hall was as it usually was. Loud, bustling with people chatting about their day, the clinking of plates as people tried out the different dishes._

_Though, the situation at the Gryffindor table wasn't normal, considering how one Dolores Umbridge had approached it and startled all of them._

" _Hem, hem. Miss Granger?" the woman simpered._

 _Riku simply watched as his friend's eyes narrowed and grit her teeth as she replied, "Yes,_ Professor _?"_

" _I've decided on your punishment for speaking out of turn in my class. You are to be stripped of all Prefect rights until the end of the week," Umbridge declared as she gave Hermione a nasty smile._

_Hermione didn't react visibly, but Riku knew that inside, the girl was hissing and spitting insults at the toad like woman._

_Noting that Hermione didn't protest, she then turned on Riku. "And as for you Mister Potter. I've decided that your week long detention will begin_ tonight _. Please remember to attend it."_

_Riku twitched at her tone of voice. It wasn't very obvious, but the woman's voice had a tone that definitely promised that his detention was going to hurt. At least that was what she thought. Sighing, Riku simply continued eating, but decided to attend the detention, if only to see what sort of punishment she had planned for him._

_~Flashback End~_

Sighing once again as he arrived at Umbridge's door, Riku steeled himself for what was to come. Knocking on the door, Riku cringed as she called, "Come in," in that disgustingly sugary voice. He entered cautiously, and it took all he had to not let his disgust show the minute he saw the state of the office.

Pink. Everywhere. All the lace around the room and kitten printed plates on one of the walls made it worse. Riku expected this of a little girl's room, not a full grown adult.

Then again, the woman was definitely obsessed with pink. Riku just hoped Naminé never landed in any of these detentions. The girl would probably breakdown the minute she entered the room.

Professor Umbridge then spoke, "Good evening, Mr Potter."

Riku barely flinched when he heard her voice. He had seen the woman when he first entered the room. He just didn't like to acknowledge her presence.

"Evening, Professor Umbridge," Riku said stiffly.

"Well, sit down," she said as she gestured to yet another lace covered table, which she had drawn up a straight-backed chair. A piece of blank parchment lay on the table, which had Riku mentally groaning the minute he saw it. 'Lines, just great.'

Seating himself on the chair, Umbridge then instructed, "Now, you are going to be doing some lines for me, Mr Potter. No, not with your quill," she added, as Riku bent down to open his bag. "You're going to be using a rather special one of mine. Here you are."

She handed him a long, thin black quill with an unusually sharp point. Riku's eyes narrowed warily as he took it, wondering why she specifically wanted him to use the quill she provided.

Ignoring Riku's hesitance as he took the quill, she then continued, "Now, I want you to write, 'I must not skip classes'."

"How many times?" Riku asked, his voice oozing with fake politeness. Not that the woman noticed.

"Oh, as long as it takes for the message to  _sink in_ ," said Umbridge sweetly, which had Riku becoming more wary at the emphasis on the last two words. "Off you go."

The woman then made her way to her desk and began sorting through her paperwork. Riku then gave a heavy sigh and picked up the quill. Reaching over to dip the quill into an ink pot, Riku blinked when he felt a thump instead of the watery ink hit the quill. Realising what was missing, Riku then pointed it out, "You haven't given me any ink."

"Oh, you won't need ink," replied Professor Umbridge, a hint of laughter in her voice, not looking up from her work.

'A self inking quill then?' Riku blinked in surprise, lifting the tip of the quill to his nose and gave it a whiff. Riku immediately recoiled when instead of ink, all he got was the scent of blood. Now he was becoming a little more worried about using the quill. Then again, the ink could have been blood based.

Riku decided to write a single line to see what the quill did. The moment the tip of the quill touched the parchment, Riku had to recoil once again due to the sudden increase in scent of dark magic.

"Why aren't you writing?" Umbridge asked with a frown.

Shaking off his surprise, Riku began to write the first letter. And blinked in surprise as his own magic surged, automatically casting Reflect around his hand, causing the quill to snap in half.

Hearing the loud snap, Umbridge looked up from her work and stared bewildered at the broken quill in Riku's hand, "Wha – "

Riku shrugged in reply, "It snapped the minute I tried to write."

Eyes narrowing, the toad like woman took another quill from her drawer and passed it to him. She decided to see if he had broken the quill on purpose, this time watching as he fiddled with the quill before positioning it over the parchment

However, the minute Riku tried to write something, it snapped once again, causing her to give him yet another one, not believing it was possible.

* * *

Eight more quills were snapped, a total of ten within the twenty minutes of Riku being in detention. In the end Umbridge gave up and allowed him to take out his own quill and ink pot, which left Riku hiding a satisfied smirk as she tried to figure out what had caused the quills to snap in the first place.

His eyes narrowed though, when he saw her try the quill herself, and yelped, as if in pain. Riku could easily see the red letters on the top of her parchment, and hissed quietly when he smelled the coppery scent of blood, even if it was just a small amount. Noticing Umbridge clutching her hand, Riku the realised what the quill was.

It was a quill that used the users' own blood as ink. Riku knew that magic that had to do with blood had dire consequences, and he really didn't want to know what would happen if he had written lines and lines using that quill, without his old magic to protect him.

Soon, the detention came to an end, Umbridge's face looked sour as she took the parchment from his hands, and once Riku had gotten far,  _far_  away from that horrifying monstrosity of an office, he broke out into quiet chuckles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've been following the story progression, you would have known this chapter was coming. Hard to do a 5th Year fic without the Detention scene cropping up at least once. And Riku's magic screws it up for Umbridge. This chapter was pretty self explanatory though. But there are a few points:
> 
> Detention on the first day – It's for a purpose. I know it's supposed to begin on the second day of classes, but I wanted to have the detention scene make a much earlier appearance because of what will happen in chapter 13 which will involve *SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER* - Eh?
> 
> Riku's sense of smell – It's been shown before that Riku can smell Darkness. So why not blood and Dark Magic?
> 
> Reflexive casting – It's similar to accidental magic, but a bit more specialised. In a way. It's not going to be a one time thing though.
> 
> Snapping Quill - *Laughs evilly* I know the scene wasn't really funny, but it was still satisfying writing it out.
> 
> Well, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter somewhat. Again, sorry it took so long for me to get this up. Chapter 12 will take a while with exams coming up, so please be patient.
> 
> Leave a comment before you go!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover
> 
> (By the way, I actually have three more omakes, two already written, and one is a Zexion/Demyx reincarnation extra which was requested but unfinished. I won't post them just yet though, but its something for you all to look forward to!)


	16. Intel from a Flame Assassin, Puppy in the Fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Umm… Sorry for not having updated for over four months? Please don't kill me! Just take the chapter and know that I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Harry Potter!

_**Chapter 12: Intel from a Flame Assassin, Puppy in the Fire.** _

Riku was still trying his best to keep his chuckles from turning into full blown laughter when he came into the Gryffindor common room with a sly smirk on his face, occasionally failing to stop a laugh from escaping. This of course attracted the attention of both Fred and George.

"So…"

"Why is it – "

"That you are laughing – "

"Like you have just – "

"Pulled a crazy prank?" The two finished.

By then, Riku had managed to calm down, and answered the two, "Umbridge's detention utterly failed on me."

Slow blinks around the room. Colin voiced out all their thoughts, "What do you mean by 'utterly failed', Harry?"

Sighing, Riku replied, "She tried to use some sort of blood quill on me. Making me write lines using my own blood. The minute I tried to use it, it just kept snapping on its own. She just kept giving me quill after quill, then she gave up. I think I snapped around ten during that detention."

Hermione, who was stuck in the common room with her Prefect rights revoked, narrowed her eyes, "Are you sure it was a blood quill Harry? It could have just been a self inking quill."

Riku shook his head, "I thought so too until I took a whiff at the tip of the quill when I first got it. It smelled of blood. And if that doesn't convince you, I saw her try the quill her own self. The ink came out blood red, and I was quite sure I saw her clutch her hand as if she had been burned."

With that said, Hermione hissed loudly, "So she actually tried to have you harm yourself?! I can't believe this! Let me look at your hand! I want it really didn't work on you!"

Letting her grab his hand, Riku smiled, rather glad that Hermione cared for him that much. Around the common room, students broke out into quiet murmurs, most of them quietly agreeing that avoiding getting detentions from the DADA teacher would be the best course of action for all of them.

Seeing no scars on her friend's hand, Hermione gave a sigh of relief, before directing a narrowed glare onto Riku, "You aren't thinking of attending the next one are you?"

Riku just chuckled, "I probably won't… unless you want pictures of her reactions?"

That cracked up the twins and Hermione allowed a giggle to escape from her, showing that she too found Umbridge's failure hilarious. Tension gone, the remaining Gryffindors said their good nights and headed to their rooms. Riku too, began making his way to his dorm.

However, the moment he stepped into the room, a ball of flames flashed right in front of him, startled yelps coming from both Ron and Neville who had been in the room before him. The sudden burst of heat had sent him sprawling. All three watched the ball of flame hover for a few seconds before fizzing out, depositing a red letter onto Riku's lap.

Picking up the letter warily, Riku was a little surprised to find that it was addressed to him. He could hear Ron wondering loudly in the background if it was fan mail or a howler, slight jealously and spite in his voice. Not wanting to test it, Riku moved himself out of the dorm, sat down on one of the couches in the now quiet and empty Common Room, and carefully opened the red envelope.

To his surprise, all he found was regular parchment. Realizing that the contents were not going to be harmful, Riku began reading.

_Way to Dawn,_

_Glad to hear you've met up with Wave! And what's this about Destiny? You'd better explain when we meet during your Hogsmeade visit! And Cloud and Zack? Cloud, I know from the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, but Zack?! Zack hasn't been seen since he left for Olympus Coliseum! Well, at least that's what I remember from when I was still a kid in Radiant Garden. Wonder why both of them got reincarnated though…_

_Anyways, the Sorting Hat's song is rather foreboding. 'Dark, external foes'? If it wasn't referring to Death Eaters, I would immediately assume that this World is under the threat of Heartless arriving. Hopefully it's the former. 'Hearts of Rebirth' definitely refers to us. As for Sky… well, I really doubt that Riddle will actually come out of hiding this year, so it gives us some time to find him. Check in with Wave just in case though. She usually knows more about this, having Seer blood this time._

_To your last question, my 'bosses' are trying to oust the old man this year. Firstly by hindering lessons for students, then slowly taking control through several decrees. Umbridge had spent quite sometime crowing her plan to the big boss, and forgot I was there. Probably by the end of it she plans on forcing your hand and kicking you out of school as well. If it does happen, the old man would most likely have to step in to keep you in school. If this entire scenario does happen,_ play along.

_I'll be sending something rather insulting to Ron by owl sometime at the end of this week. She plans on screening the letters, and I have to keep up with the appearance that I've estranged myself from the family thanks to you and the old man, so don't feel offended once he reads it out. Send me the date of your next Hogsmeade with your reply as well, and I'll keep myself free on that day_

_Dancing Flames_

_P.S. Since you didn't tell me who Destiny is, I expect you to do the same for him. Keep my identity a secret from him. I'll expect it to be as shocking to me as it will be to him!_

Riku just shook his head at the P.S. at the end of the letter. Then he noticed something more on the back of the parchment.

_P.S.S. By the way sorry if I scared you with how the letter appeared. I made a new friend and told him not to reveal himself to you as he dropped your letter off, so he remained a ball of flames. I originally had a different method of sending this, but I haven't worked out the quirks with sending the thing to a recipient without burning them. I've only tested them with the twins so far, and while it's worked when it was them, I'm not certain it will work when it is sent to other people just yet._

_The red envelope is fire proof, something I created while experimenting, and would have burnt anyone who wasn't the person the letter was addressed to. The parchment was something I created while I was experimenting on how Howlers burned themselves up once they finished reading the contents. This message will now self destruct._

Riku blinked at the last word and immediately let the parchment go as he felt a second flash of heat, and watched as both the parchment and envelope burn, leaving behind a pile of ash. Sighing at the mess it made, Riku wondered why the pyromaniac Keyblade wielder created such a messy method of communication. Sweeping the ashes onto a piece of parchment, Riku made his way to the fireplace, chucked the ashes and parchment into the flames and turned back. And came to a startled stop when he heard a choking cough.

"What the – *cough* – ashes?!" came a familiar voice. Riku spun around to stare at the coughing face of Zack in the now green flames, "Zack?"

"Wasn't expecting this when I decided to pop into the fire to check if you were still around," Zack gave a weak grin while he coughed some more. "Been doing so every hour."

Riku gave a quiet laugh as he reprimanded his godfather, "Risk-taker. You could have been seen!"

He could easily see the other give a shrug, "Well, everyone was distracted, and I only popped in for a few seconds to check if the coast was clear. Plus, I wouldn't be me if I didn't take risks."

Shaking his head in amusement, Riku then asked, "So what's this about?"

"Your letter mainly. Cloud was decidedly disturbed when he read it since I wasn't able to decipher some of it. He did explain to me what it had been about though," Zack explained. "But with the seriousness of it all, I thought it would be a good idea to fire call you. Safer than sending it via owl."

"So what were both your thoughts about it?"

"Well, from what Cloud has told me, this means you'll probably be getting a few more allies soon. Though it is worrisome that the Sorting Hat referred to you specifically. That and the fact that this world is at risk of being consumed by Darkness. In any case, be careful. You have a little more time to look for Sora since Voldemort is still looking for that weapon of his, but with the Sorting Hat's warning try and avoid taking risks."

"Like you have?"

"Shut up, I was worried for you. Anyways, what are Umbridge's lessons like?" Zack asked, changing the subject. "Is she training you all to kill half-breeds?"

Riku just shrugged, "Who knows? I skipped the first lesson and plan on doing so for the rest. Hermione might tell you more, though I'd suggest avoiding any mention of that for the time being. Her reaction to DADA class this afternoon wasn't all that pleasant. From what she said though, I think she forbid the use of magic during class."

"Ah, well, that figures," muttered Zack. "Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."

"Combat?" repeated Riku in disbelief. "What does he think we're doing here, forming some sort of wizard army?"

"That's exactly what he thinks you're doing," nodded Zack, "Or, rather, that's exactly what he's afraid Dumbledore's doing – forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic."

"… Is it wrong of me to think that Dumbledore is actually capable of that?" Riku wondered.

"Not really, considering during the last war most of us got recruited into the Order soon after we got out of school," Zack shrugged, "Anyways, Fudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He's getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. It's a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped-up charge."

"Huh. That's exactly what Axel said," Riku blinked.

"Axel? Ah, you mean Percy. He informed you then?"

"Somewhat. But what's this about 'half-breeds'?" Riku asked, eyes narrowed.

"Ah, that. Cloud can tell you a little bit more about that."

"Is he here with you?"

"Yup. Chocobo-head is –" Zack started when he yelped in pain as a loud clang echoed, a cooking pot flying out of the fireplace as Cloud hissed from beyond the fireplace, "Zack, quit calling me a Chocobo-head!"

Riku immediately dodged the flying pot but winced as it crashed loudly onto the floor, causing footsteps from the girl's dormitory to erupt. A frazzled Hermione, still dressed in her uniform, poked her head out of the stairwell and when she saw Riku and the pot, she asked, "Harry? What was that noise?"

"I was trying to transfigure a pot, but I accidentally cast  _Accio_  and the thing just flew right at my face and I had to dodge," Riku lied calmly, before asking the girl, "Did I wake you?"

"Not really. I was still up going over the stuff we went through in the library. I'll probably head to bed soon though," Hermione muttered as she turned to return to her room.

Sighing in relief, Riku looked at the fireplace and gave a glare at the sheepish and rather apologetic face of Zack, who quickly disappeared, giving Cloud his opportunity to speak.

"Sorry for causing that Riku. Now I believe Zack wanted me to tell you more about that…  _toad_ ," one could hear the animalistic growl in Cloud's voice at the mention of that woman.

"Why did Zack specifically ask if she was teaching us to kill 'half-breeds', Cloud?" Riku questioned.

"Umbridge… she's extremely xenophobic and is a staunch blood purist. Many of the laws against the rights of intelligent beings found in the Wizarding World were passed by her, for example, the law that prevents werewolves from getting jobs in the Wizarding World. Occasionally she writes laws that suggest outright genocide of an intelligent species, but luckily most of the time those never get passed," Cloud stated.

"So Zack was more worried that she was teaching us to be prejudiced then," Riku muttered thoughtfully. Cloud nodded, "Yes, though I told him he didn't have to worry too much. With me as your former teacher, and Hermione as one of your friends, I really doubt you would be that easily influenced into that sort of mind set."

Shaking his head in amusement, Riku then guessed, "I bet he wants to meet me during the next Hogsmeade visit, right? Just to check on me?"

"I'll try to convince him not to, but the forms of our past selves isn't known to many. If I couldn't do it while he was still Sirius, I really doubt I would be able to stop him as Zack, not that I ever could in the first place," Cloud muttered.

Laughing quietly at the mention of how stubborn Zack was in either form, Riku then stated, "Maybe not this one. I've already arranged to meet with Axel that day, and who knows what else might come up that requires time from my trip to Hogsmeade."

"He'd be disappointed, but Zack will understand. Though, it does leave us with methods of communicating with you that have a high risk of interception."

At that statement Riku became thoughtful, then suggested, "Send it through Axel. He's recently found a secure method of delivering mail directly to me, so it may be safer."

Cloud contemplated it a bit before nodding in agreement, "I think that would be for the best. I'll tell him that it was your suggestion then, Riku."

"Thanks, Cloud," Riku said, and the blond smiled in reply, taking the thanks as a signal to end the call. His face then disappeared from the flames, the flames itself returning to its original colour.

Riku then gave a sigh as he collapsed into the couch, feeling drained all of the sudden.

' _First Axel's message, then Zack and Cloud's warnings. If things turn out as they say it would, then I had better start preparing for the fallout,_ ' Riku thought, before mumbling to himself, "But first, I'd better reply to Axel, and give him the heads up."

Making his way back to the Fifth Year dorms, Riku entered as silently as possible, Ron's loud snoring indicating that most of them had fallen asleep during the time he had spent talking to Zack and Cloud.

Quickly heading to his bed and drawing the curtains, Riku then took out his quill and ink pot and began writing his coded reply to Axel on a fresh piece of parchment, planning on sending it when morning came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to write out. I've been really distracted lately, spending more time reading fics than writing fics. But thankfully Kingdom Hearts Unchained X has brought me a new bout of inspiration and I was able to finish this chapter. Hopefully the 2400 words or so chapter was satisfactory enough. However, one of the main reasons why I took so long for this was because I had made a number of changes to the timeline. I had to do a bit of checking in the HP Lexicon for information to ensure I was right before I made said changes. I'll list them here.
> 
> Post Detention Scene – Originally, the post detention scene only involved the Golden Trio. However, I decided to have some of the other Gryffindors bear witness to Harry's return to the dorms. This has a purpose of reinforcing the dislike of Dumbridge, and will have some effects in the latter chapters.
> 
> Letter from Axel – While early, this isn't the letter that was in the original book. Said original letter is set to appear soon as mentioned by Axel. Most of its contents is pretty self explanatory, except the Zack thing. I'll explain that in a while. As for Axel's new friend… It's pretty obvious who it is, isn't it. But the whole thing about experimenting with Howlers, I did mention it way back in his ItB chapter.
> 
> Zack was a former resident of Radiant Garden – Judging from his age in the Coliseum, I estimated him to be about the same age as Lea during BBS. The idea is that Zack had been thrown back in time and was deaged when Gaia was destroyed and he landed in Radiant Garden a few years earlier than Cloud and the rest of Radiant Garden's residents, and before they appeared Zack had already left Radiant Garden after failing to find Cloud. This has been slightly referenced in the Cloud Zack ItB.
> 
> Zack/Sirius in the fire – Early as well, again most of the conversations were self explanatory, some taken straight from the book itself, except the reason for calling is fundamentally different, thanks to the lack of the horcrux. I decided to let Cloud handle explaining the whole thing with the toad and the Hogsmeade visit thing. So much easier.
> 
> Flying Pot – I did say this was going to happen again! *Cackles evily*
> 
> Bypassing the toad's interferences – Well, thanks to Axel this issue has been resolved.
> 
> Hopefully this explains some things, and I hope you've enjoyed reading the chapter itself! I know I've been really inconsistent with my update schedule, but I'll still try my best to keep this fic running. Please leave a comment before you leave, and again, thanks for reading this chapter!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	17. Let's burn this notice down shall we?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: No, I don't own Harry Potter OR Kingdom Hearts. But guys this is a double update! There's an omake chapter up next so please check!

_**Chapter 13: Let's burn this notice down shall we?** _

Despite the 'hilarious and not exactly painful' detention with the so-called DADA professor, Riku found that the week in Hogwarts went on as usual… Well, not as usual, all things considered.

During the week, Slytherin had toned down on the snide remarks towards him and the Gryffindors outside of Pansy Parkinson and her followers. Most of them had decided on a wait and see approach, likely due to Roxas' own stance towards him at the moment. Probably noticing the change in stance of his own House towards Riku, Snape had also toned down on the insults a little. Not that Riku was undeserving of such a change in attitude, because Riku  _had_ been improving during Potions now that the attempts of sabotage were quickly repelled by spells cast by both himself and Roxas.

Then there was their tiny study group during DADA lessons. He had not expected Hermione to blow up at the toad-like woman and walk out of class. The Hermione he remembered harbored too much respect for authority figures to do that. Then again, she did do so for Divination during their Third Year.

What he truly had not anticipated was how fast Hermione had made friends with Tracey Davis, which had left even Roxas slightly bewildered at the fact. It was as if both were doing so over their mutual hate towards their DADA 'professor'. As the one of few Half-bloods in Slytherin, Tracey had not made any friends outside of Daphne Greengrass and one or two of the less prejudiced Ravenclaws, at least according to Roxas. To see her become friends with a Muggleborn Gryffindor like Hermione had left Roxas shocked.

Outside of the two girls' fast friendship, Riku had found that skipping DADA had the interesting side effect of actually learning more than what the rest of the school actually did in class. While Hermione and Tracey soon left the group, if only to avoid more unfair punishments, it wasn't without promising to join them both during their free time.

Speaking of punishments, Riku had taken to avoiding his detentions like a plague. After all, even though he was immune to the Blood Quill, he didn't want to attend on the off chance that Umbridge had found a way to make the item work. After the third time he skipped his detention, Umbridge had gotten Professor McGonagall involved, trying to encourage him to attend the detentions. What actually occurred during their conversation, Riku knew it was far different from what Umbridge had in mind…

_~Flashback~_

_Knocking on the office door, Professor McGonagall soon emerged, blinking in surprise at his sudden visit, "Is there something you need to speak to me about, Potter?"_

_Giving a shrug, Riku just passed a slip of paper to her and said, "Was told to come see you by Professor Umbridge."_

_He held out the note from Professor Umbridge. Professor McGonagall took it from him, frowning, slit it open with a tap of her wand, stretched it out and began to read. Her eyes zoomed from side to side behind their square spectacles as she read what Umbridge had written, and with each line they became narrower._

" _Come in here, Potter."_

_He followed her inside her study. The door closed automatically behind him._

" _Well?" said Professor McGonagall, rounding on him. "Is this true?"_

" _Is what true, Professor?" Riku asked, suddenly more curious as to what in the world Umbridge had written to have his Head of House questioning him._

" _Is it true that you've been skipping your DADA classes?'_

_Riku gave confused glance, not understanding where this was going, before answering, "Yes."_

" _And you have been skipping the detentions she assigned as well?"_

" _Yes."_

" _And that you've been planting dangerous thoughts in to the minds of your classmates?"_

" _Okay, that one is a definite no. If some of them spoke out, it was their choice to do so. I never told them or encouraged them to do anything. In fact, how would I have done so with the Slytherins?" Riku scowled at the false accusation._

_Professor McGonagall sat down behind her desk, watching Riku closely. Then she sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Have a biscuit, Potter."_

" _Have - what?" Riku blinked._

" _Have a biscuit," she repeated impatiently, indicating a tartan tin lying on top of one of the piles of papers on her desk. "And sit down."_

_Slightly bewildered, Riku could only obey and sank into a chair opposite her and helped himself to a Ginger Newt._

_Professor McGonagall set down Professor Umbridge's note and looked very seriously at Riku, "I probably can guess why you have been avoiding her classes Potter, and I have heard the complaints from Ms Granger. However, I'd rather hear it from your own mouth."_

_Riku sighed, "If the DADA Professor had been anyone else, I probably would have attended class. However, I met Professor Umbridge_ before _, during my hearing. And I had not been left with a very good impression. She refuses to believe whatever I say will be the truth despite cold hard evidence being put in front of her face. Her speech during the feast had simply reinforced that notion, and I knew that if I stayed with that woman in the classroom, I would have ended up loosing my temper and landing in detention for 'lying' about the reappearance of Voldemort."_

_She gave a nod of understanding, before asking, "And your detentions?"_

_Riku shrugged, "It's not like it really sticks."_

'More like her methods don't work and I don't want to attend on the off chance she actually finds a way around it, _' Riku thought._

_Sighing once again, Professor McGonagall started, "If you still intend on skipping your DADA sessions…"_

" _I do."_

" _At least inform me what books you have been using for your self study," the Professor continued, frowning at the interruption._

_~Flashback End~_

Other than informing his Head of House about what books he'd been reading and getting told off for skipping his detention while warning him to keep his head down, Riku knew he had gotten off lightly.

Then Saturday night rolled around and the Axel's letter to Ron arrived as expected. Seeing the red-head throw the letter away before storming out of the Common Room after reading it prompted Hermione to pick it up and read it herself, Riku looking over her shoulder as she read it.

Easily seeing past the insults towards him and the disgusting flattery to the Toad, Riku quickly picked out the key pieces of information that the former Nobody had left for him to find.

Firstly was that Umbridge was making her move soon, and would be announcing it in the Daily Prophet the next day. Second was that the public opinion of him hadn't changed much, warning him to not make any sudden moves that would simply drag into more trouble. Thirdly was something Riku had already encountered, the Professors were not taking Umbridge's appearance in the school well, and Umbridge was going to do something that would change their curriculum or teachers.

Riku did, however, end up snickering at Axel's undisguised attempts at pushing Ron away from him. After all, the distance from his former friend did help him get away with more things. Hermione ended up giving him a baleful glance for disturbing her, though.

It was only on Sunday that the image of false peace began to give way to the beginnings of what would turn out to be the most chaotic year for Riku and his friends.

* * *

_Sunday, 8_ _th_ _September  
Great Hall, Breakfast_

**MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM**  
DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED  
FIRST EVER HIGH INQUISITOR

"What… may I ask is this?" Riku hissed quietly at Hermione, who had hogged the only copy of the newspaper for their end of the table, leaving only the headlines visible to those siting around her. All around the Great Hall groups of students had formed, gathering around the ones who had subscribed to the Daily Prophet.

Hermione read aloud:

' _In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_"The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time," said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. "He is now responding to concerns, voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve of."_

_This is not the first time in recent weeks that the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, has used new laws to effect improvements at the wizarding school. As recently as 30th August, Educational Decree Number Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current Headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person._

_"That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts," said Weasley last night. "Dumbledore couldn't find anyone so the Minister put in Umbridge, and of course, she's been an immediate success - "_ '

Some of the Gryffindors choked at that. Riku hissed is discontent over the false statement, "Liar."

"Wait, there's more," said Hermione grimly.

' _"- an immediate success, totally revolutionising the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts."_

_It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalised with the passing of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, which creates the new position of Hogwarts High Inquisitor._

_"This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the falling standards at Hogwarts," said Weasley. "The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post and we are delighted to say that she has accepted."_ '

On the other end of the hall, Tracey Davis was reading her copy of the Prophet aloud, with most of her year mates barely paying attention to her, knowing that they could take their time to read it later in the day.

' _The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts._

 _"I feel much easier in my mind now that I know Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation," said Mr Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. "Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years and are glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation."_ '

"Wait, what was that?!" Roxas quickly snatched up his own copy of the paper, soon finding the part where his father gave his statement, and growling in annoyance at the lies told once he read it.

' _Among those eccentric decisions are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the employment of werewolf Remus Lupin, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid and delusional ex-Auror, "Mad-Eye" Moody._ '

One could have easily heard a single thought of 'Yet they were some of the better DADA professors we've had,' running through most of the 5th years' minds

The rest of the article covered opinions of some of the Ministry workers and Wizengamot members, but the students understood that things were going to change in the school, and it might not be for the better. Still…

* * *

_Gryffindor/Slytherin Dorms_

A notice had been put up on the notice board of all the dorms, a reminder of the new 'Educational Decree'. However, that didn't stop one hand from ripping it from the board in two different dorms, both holding a small ball of fire in the other as they faced their dorm mates.

In Gryffindor and in Slytherin, Riku and Roxas held a ball of Dark Firaga and Firaga respectively, holding the notice over it. In the Slytherin dorms, Tracey gave a dark grin as she saw the fireball lick the edge of the offending piece of parchment. And the two boys gave the rest of their dorm mates a dark grin in return as the said:

"Let's burn this notice down shall we?"

And as the parchment quickly caught fire and was reduced to a smoldering pile of ashes, Tracey wondered why she had found it enjoyable watching it burn, before shrugging it off. 'It probably wasn't important,' she would think, but the thoughts of flames would begin to constantly gnaw at her, as a reminder of an old friend she had yet to meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! It's been another month (Wow. I've been irregular with my updates.) but we're finally done with the first week of Hogwarts. Hopefully things will speed up a bit, but since my semester finals are on… Well anyways, I'll be posting a Halloween omake next since it's a double update today. It's not a canon chapter, since strangely enough, there wasn't a Halloween incident in Book 5 (Riku gets a break!), but I've already written it, covering similar things to the Valentine Omake(So you all get to see Sora. Yay!). Anyways, explanations:
> 
> Skipping most of chapter 13 and 14 – They aren't really important. But the important bits are covered in a flashback and a short summary.
> 
> Mione returning to class, friends with Tracey – She needs to remain a Prefect. And Tracey… Well, you begin to notice her changing. Not much, but its there. You all know why (Mock whispers: She's Xion).
> 
> Letter – Contents are the same. Just read chapter 14 of OotP. I just interpreted things differently.
> 
> Newspaper - I took about a 75% of the thing and inserted it in. I just had more than simply Riku reacting to it!
> 
> Notice burning – The Gryffs aren't exactly happy. While the firsties are still pretty unaffected, most of the upper years are. Riku is just expressing his displeasure with a Dark Firaga. As for Roxas and Tracey… well, both are unintentionally channeling their inner Axel. Tracey catches herself and wonders why she acted like that and Roxas goes with the flow.
> 
> Not too many key events, but the Notice Burning was the most important this chapter. Along with a key part of Tracey's memories being unlocked! Please leave a comment before you leave, and again, thanks for reading this chapter!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover
> 
> By the way… Check the new omake in the series! It's the Halloween Special!


	18. Training Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Wow… This is late. Yeah, I hadn't been in the mood or had the time to actually write this chapter out until now. Had a job for most of January, and December I was dealing with a very annoying cold. Then came the Lunar New Year celebrations.
> 
> On another note: This may be the last chapter I'll be writing for a very long while. I haven't exactly been doing very well with my studies as of the late. And my father just revealed to me our current financial situation. It's not good. I'll probably still be around leaving reviews or what not, but I really don't think I'll have the time (or privacy) to post a new chapter anytime soon. Nor will I have the time and luxury I had to write said new chapters. I'll probably sneak in a few when my parents aren't around, but most of the time will mostly be dedicated to studying from now on.
> 
> Okay, enough with the depressing stuff. There's quite a bit of time skips, just to warn you, as this chapter is covering quite a few events, both major and minor ones. And hopefully it is enough content wise to keep you all satisfied till I'm able to update again. Now on to the story!

**Chapter 14: Training Time**

During the months following the announcement of Umbridge's newly gained position and privileges, one could have easily said that it went from order to anarchy, with Umbridge trying her best to instill order, while some students went around sowing the seeds of chaos, either openly, or from the shadows. That said, it was only during Umbridge's sessions that rebellion was incited, if only to spite her.

But during the first few weeks after the educational decree was passed, many had considered it the calm before the storm of chaos that was to descend on Hogwarts.

* * *

The first class Hermione had been present for an inspection together with Harry was their Tuesday Transfiguration class. From what she had heard, the 5th Year Divination class and 7th Year Charms had been inspected. She hadn't expected another 5th year class to be inspected so soon. Then again, considering it _was_ their OWL year, or more specifically, Harry's OWL year, it was to be expected that Umbridge would try to hinder his learning as much as possible.

However, even if Umbridge knew there would be resistance from the students and teachers against her authority, Hermione knew she had not anticipated Professor McGonagall to outright ignore her through out the inspection. The cat Animagus had continued on with her lesson, brushing off Umbridge's questions with a simple comment or statement each time.

Hermione was surprised that her Head of House was able to maintain such a stoic façade. She did, however, notice Riku managing to keep his amusement to himself, but occasionally Hermione caught the corner of her friend's lips quirking up a little to form a smirk.

* * *

Returning to the Gryffindor Common Rooms from patrolling and noticing the tiny pile of ash underneath the notice board, Hermione could only sigh. Students had begun taking out their frustration over the lack of practical during DADA work on the offending piece of parchment that was the Educational Decree, often blasting it into pieces, or taking a page from Riku's book and burning it altogether.

However, Hermione knew that wasn't the only reason. While it had only been a week, and despite efforts made to avoid Umbridge, some students had still gotten detentions with her. Knowing that she was high up in the Ministry, therefore nigh untouchable, all they could do was take out their pain and frustrations on the only target in the room.

'If only there was a way and place to practice DADA spells. That would at least keep the protests from the students down and limit the detentions we get,' Hermione thought as she made her way to the fireplace, staring at the flames, 'But without anyone to teach us, we might just learn something wrongly and hurt ourselves in the process.'

"'Mione? What's on your mind?"

Hermione would not admit that she jumped slightly at the voice, but only sighed when she spotted the green eyed teen siting on one of the couches behind where she stood. "Oh. It's just you, Harry."

Then, recalling what had happened on the first day of school, as well as their past experiences over the years, Hermione turned to her friend and asked, "Harry, I know you've been doing self study for Defense Against Dark Arts since the first day of school, but have you actually practiced spells recently?"

Harry scowled at the mention of his lack of practice, "I would have if I had the space and privacy to do so. As it is now, Umbridge might as well have control of the school and any possible practice area could be watched. And considering her policy over the use of spells, well…"

"Even so, accounting the past years we've had, would you consider yourself more adept at defensive spells than anyone else in our House?" Hermione pressed, plans already formulating in her mind.

"What are you hinting at Hermione?" Harry asked, eyes narrowed.

"Just an idea I had," She hummed, "Harry I'd like for you to teach us."

Her idea was met with silence. Harry had totally ignored her, going back to the potions book he had been reading, but she could see in his eyes that she had piqued his interest with the suggestion. Hermione took it as a sign that he would think about it, and went ahead to make a few preparations, in case he did decide to take up her offer to help teach them.

* * *

It had been a long while since Riku explored the castle, at least not since Third Year. When Hermione had asked about practicing spells, it had Riku wondering if there were anymore hidden rooms within Hogwarts he could train in. He had checked the Marauder's Map, but didn't really find anything special except one odd area.

Riku, when he went about thoroughly exploring Hogwarts that Saturday night, found it fairly odd that there was a large blank wall opposite a tapestry Barnabas the Barmy. The Map hadn't showed anything special about it, which made it even more suspicious.

So other than scouring every possible hidden room that the Map had given him, Riku had visited said wall on the seventh floor. Testing every brick and every tile in reach, either by pushing them or tapping them with his wand, Riku was beginning to feel extremely frustrated at the lack of a hidden room until a voice startled him out of his thoughts.

"Try walking back and forth three times past the wall thinking of what you need boy – Ouch! Stop hitting me and dance properly already!"

Turning around in shock, all Riku found was the still tapestry of trolls in tutus trying to dance but hitting the wizard in the middle, though he could still hear the quiet mutters and curses coming from it. Smiling and giving a bow of thanks for the advice, Riku began focusing his thoughts as he paced back and forth past the wall.

'I need a training room, I need a training room, I need a training room,' Riku focused, then looked up when he heard the creak of wooden doors nearby. Turning to the wall, he could only blink in surprise as the hidden room he had been looking for showed itself.

Slowly opening the doors, Riku froze when he found himself staring at a perfect replica of the training grounds of the restored Land of Departure. Staring at the room, he wondered out loud, "Is this like Castle Oblivion, using our memories to form rooms?"

Feeling the hum of magic in the air in reply surprised Riku, leaving him wondering if it was sentient, to which he responded, "Do you take the form of the memories closest to what we request or require?"

The hum of magic came again, as if in agreement. Riku then smiled, walked out of the doors and said, "I'll be back tomorrow night," Then closed the doors.

The next night and the nights after, Riku returned to the sentient room, training his skills with the Keyblade and wand, while occasionally asking the room to help repair the targets. Roxas and Naminé soon joined him once he told them, and the three were finally able to train using their spells and Keyblades without worry.

* * *

It was a little more than a week later that Riku was met with Hermione once again asking him to teach.

If he had to be honest with himself, Riku was keen on the idea. After all, it would not be the first time he had to teach someone. In fact, even while training in the Room of Requirement (He had gotten the name of the room out of the wizard in the tapestry), he had found his thoughts occasionally straying to possible lesson plans only for Roxas to scowl at him.

Reason for the scowl being the appearance of a table full of books right in between the two sparring Keyblade wielders. All Riku could do was sigh and request the Room to remove the books whenever it happened.

It was only when Naminé began to take notice of how distracted he was and coaxing the situation out of him that he decided that maybe the idea of teaching students themselves would be a good idea. The airy blond admitted that she was having trouble casting the defensive spells that Umbridge had been teaching yet not demonstrating or letting them practice.

Roxas, who continued to skip with him, had agreed that if it weren't for the fact that his mother had occasionally coached him that summer on spells to expect during their Fifth Year, he would have been just as lost as Naminé while simply studying textbooks without practicing the spells.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Riku then asked Hermione, "Who were you planning on having me teach Hermione?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who are you planning to invite? Is it year specific? House specific? Or am I allowed to choose who I would like to invite if I do agree to teach?"

"I already have a list of interested people Harry. At least, those outside of Slytherin," Hermione sighed, "I haven't been able to ask Daphne and Tracey in private yet since I didn't want to draw more attention, but I was hoping you could handle it while I look for others."

"How big is this group exactly Hermione?" Riku asked, knowing that this was going to be on a much larger scale than he expected. Handing over a sheet of parchment, Hermione crossed her fingers behind her back as Riku read it.

He put down the paper with a sigh and muttered, "At least give the Seventh Years a heads up that they'll be helping me teach the younger years."

"So you agree?!" Hermione cheered. Smiling at his friend's enthusiasm, Riku then asked, "So are we holding a meeting about this then?"

"Yes. I'll inform the ones who are interested and give the Seventh Years some notice," Hermione stated.

"And I'll handle the Slytherins. Hopefully Draco will be willing to give me a hand at spreading the word," Riku smirked.

* * *

_Way to Dawn,_

_Got Hogsmead off. Will see you and Destiny inside Honeydukes instead. Less suspicious._

_Dancing Flames_

_P.S. My friend wanted to say hi to you, so if you have a reply you can send it through him! (Because I still haven't gotten my other mailing method to stop burning my hair when ever the twins test it. I swear they are messing with me right now.)_

* * *

_Dancing Flames,_

_I have no idea how you got the old goat's phoenix to become your familiar, but I congratulate you for pulling it off anyways. (He loves sitting in a burning fireplace by the way. And its good camouflage.)_

_Some new developments though. We're currently planning a secret Defense Club under the Toad's nose, mainly because discontent within the dorms is becoming a little more obvious. Destiny, Wave and I may be late as first meeting is this Hogsmead. And Honeydukes might be a better choice, since we are inviting some other snakes along to this meeting. See you there._

_Way to Dawn_

_P.S. Do you have any Defense books you can send me via your friend? Thanks._

* * *

_Way to Dawn,_

_You are lucky I'm on your side or else I would have reported this to someone already. Defying the toad like that is asking for trouble! Anyways just a suggestion, the Three Broomsticks has private function rooms that are open if guests request it._

_Dancing Flames_

_P.S. Batch of self destruct parchments and burn inducing envelopes sent along with your books. Instructions included._

* * *

_?, ?th September  
Room of Requirement_

"So the secret Defense group is a go then?"

"Willing to help convince your fellow snakes to join in, Roxas?"

"Some of our Fifth Years only. Those outside of our year don't really trust you much, but were willing to adopt our stance towards you."

"Any names?"

"I guess expect Davis, Greengrass, Nott, Blaise and I to be there."

"And you Naminé?"

"Hermione was asking around Ravenclaw for a while, and she already invited me."

"Guess all that's left is to get everyone's schedule, prepare lesson plans, and… Tell Hermione that we have a training room ready."

"She's going to be upset that you kept something this big a secret you know."

"Shut up Roxas."

* * *

"So did they agree to come, Harry?" Hermione asked

"Only the Fifth Years in Draco's group," Riku informed her as he continued to write down notes for his lesson plans, "Where are you holding the meeting? The Three Broomsticks?"

"I was thinking of using Hog's Head. Not many students go there so there is less opportunity for us to get eavesdropped on… What?" Hermione started before stopping when she saw the disbelieving look on Riku's face.

"Hermione, using a usually empty tavern for a meeting is just asking for people to try and spy on us. Not to mention a group of students meeting in secret is already suspicious enough," Riku sighed, while Hermione blanched, realizing that her lack of foresight.

"Then where should we meet? There weren't many places that could hold our amount that I could find!" Hermione asked, worrying.

"The Three Broomsticks. I heard from a friend of mine that Madam Rosemerta has a few function rooms for use. Might be a better idea since it won't look as suspicious with so many other students around," Riku suggested, recalling Axel's own suggestion to use the place instead.

Calming down, Hermione looked at her friend and asked, "Can you contact Madam Rosemerta and book a room for the meeting? I need to inform the others."

Seeing Riku agree, Hermione ran out of the common room and into the girl's dormitory, most likely to inform the Gryffindor girls about the change in plans.

* * *

Tracey Davis found it very strange that Potter had decided to have them meet him in front of the entrance to Hogsmead instead of at whatever meeting spot they were going to. Of course, it could easily be due to him not trusting most of them outside of Malfoy, which had been rather strange as none of the Slytherins had seen them meet each other outside of classes.

Seeing the silver haired teen walk up to them, Potter silently greeted them before leading them towards the Three Broomsticks. She listened as Malfoy questioned Potter about the reason he had them meet him outside, and Tracey could agree with his reasons.

Not wanting any of the self-righteous or bigoted Gryffindors or prejudiced members of the other houses to know that there would be Slytherins joining them was a good idea. At least with Potter leading them there, they would be less inclined to attack them and just be suspicious. It wasn't anything new, but considering this club of theirs was most likely going to be a way to get them ready for the coming war, trust was essential.

Walking into the rather crowded inn, Tracey noticed that no one was looking at them, nor did she see Hermione when she knew that the smartest witch of Gryffindor was most likely the one who gathered them together. The other thing she noticed was a door at the back of the inn that she was sure was never there before. Potter walked up to the door and knocked on it, the door opening to reveal Hermione.

"Ah! You're here! Well come on in!" Hermione smiled as she ushered Potter and the others into the room, dragging Tracey in as she closed the door. Their entry was met with quiet murmurs of confusion and the occasional hiss of discontent, though it seemed that most of the Gryffindors understood that the unspoken truce between Slytherin and them was still standing. Most.

"What are these snakes doing here Hermione?!" Weasley growled.

"They're here for the same reason you are Ron. And majority of Gryffindor has agreed to a truce while you weren't around, so don't antagonize them," Hemione scolded as she turned back towards the already assembled group.

As Tracey sat down, she could see that most had decided to sit within their Houses, though the occasional odd ball like Lovegood decide to sit with them, inciting glares from most of the Ravenclaws, who all wilted at the disappointed look from Potter. Then Hermione stood up and everyone's eyes were on her.

"Er," Hermione squeaked, out of nerves, Tracey noticed, "Well — er — hi."

"Well… erm… well, most of you know why you're here. Erm… well, Harry here had the idea — I mean — " Potter had thrown her a sharp look, "I had the idea — that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defense Against the Dark Arts — and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is trying to feed us."

Hermione's voice became more confident as she continued on, "Because nobody could call that Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Hear, hear," agreed Goldstein from the Ravenclaws, and Hermione looked heartened.

"Well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands," She paused, looked sideways at Potter, and went on, "And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but practicing spells themselves —"

"You want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. too though, I bet?" asked Corner.

"Of course I do," said Hermione at once, "But I want more than that, I want to be properly trained in Defense because… because…"

She took a great breath and finished, "Because Lord Voldemort's back."

The reaction was immediate, though one was not expected. While everyone had either twitched, inhaled sharply, made some noise of shock, or simply kept quiet, Tracey had noticed Potter had started glaring at Hermione, causing her Gryffindor friend to wince. Either she had not informed Potter of her intentions, or he just had not wanted her to bring him into the spotlight.

"Well… that's the plan anyway," said Hermione. "If you want to join us, we need to decide how we're going to —"

"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" said the blond Hufflepuff player in a rather aggressive voice.

Potter suddenly sighed, stood up and headed to the door, causing the Gryffindors to all freeze and quickly beg of him not to leave the room, and the Weasley twins to berate Hermione for bringing the topic up in the first place. It left the other Houses confused with only Malfoy and Lovegood seemingly understanding their reactions.

"Fine. I won't leave the room," Potter stated once they got him to sit down, but he kept a glare on the Hufflepuff that asked the question in the first place, "I won't leave, but anyone who is simply here for me to give them proof that what the Daily Prophet rubbish says about me is true, or looking for answers about what happened last year, get. Out."

The boy just continued with a sneer, "And why should we? We've got the right to know exactly what makes both Dumbledore and you say You-Know-Who's back."

He then shrugged dismissively, "All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know —"

"That's enough Smith," the snap of a book closing shut the blond up. Tracey looked in the direction of the voice and found one Rolf Scamander giving an annoyed look at his fellow Hufflepuff. "Diggory is dead. He knew the consequences of a single misstep during the tournament last year. It could have been Voldemort – " Everyone flinched, "Or it could have been something else entirely. Diggory is dead and we do not have the right to blame the one who had the decency to bring his body back for a proper burial. So stop trying to do so."

Potter simply looked rather grateful at the Puff for handling his housemate, then gestured for Hermione to continue. Her friend looked apologetic, but decided to press forward, "So… like I was saying . . . if you want to learn some defense, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet, and where we're going to —"

"Is it true," interrupted the girl with the long plait down her back, looking at Potter, "that you can produce a Patronus?"

There was a murmur of interest around the group at this.

"Yes," said Potter slightly defensively.

"A corporeal Patronus?"

Wondering where this line of questioning was going, Tracey watched as Potter asked a question in return, "Er — you don't know Madam Bones, do you?"

The girl smiled.

"She's my auntie," she said. "I'm Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So — is it really true? You make a stag Patronus?"

"Yes," Potter replied.

That… Said a lot about Potter's abilities. A corporeal Patronus at their age was almost impossible to do, and the fact that Potter was able to conjure one was very impressive. Her own friends, who were keeping quiet as they observed, were similarly impressed. Chatter from the other groups brought up similar opinions.

"And did you kill a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" demanded Boot. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year…" He would have continued if Potter wasn't glaring at him, because at the mention of a basilisk, Hermione had paled, and so had the eldest of the Creevey brothers. Quite a few didn't like to recall the disaster that happened in Potter's second year, but hearing that he slayed the basilisk that caused the whole thing, placed him much higher in the eyes of the Slytherins present.

"And in our first year," said Longbottom to the group at large, "he saved that Sorcerous Stone —"

"Sorcerer's," hissed Hermione.

"Yes, that, from You-Know-Who," finished Longbottom.

"Okay that's enough from all of you," Potter stopped them from saying anything else. "I know that you are trying to help prove to everyone that I am more than capable to teach them, and I agree that I am better trained than some thanks to last year."

"However," He stopped Smith from mocking him, "I am not the only one able to teach. Most of the Seventh Years here have probably just as much experience with defense spells, and I would like if you were able to help teach as well as refining your skills at the same time."

That was… humbling. The room had gone quiet at his admission that he would like the Seventh years to help out. Most of them gave Potter looks of approval.

Seeing almost everyone in agreement, Hermione asked, "Moving on . . . the point is, are we agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?"

"Well, then, the next question is how often we do it. I really don't think there's any point in meeting less than once a week —"

"Hang on," protested Johnson, "we need to make sure this doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice."

"No," said Chang, "nor with ours."

"Nor ours," added Smith.

"While our group would rather not have Quidditch this year, our captain is rather adamant, so not with ours either," Malfoy interjected.

"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," said Hermione, slightly impatiently, "but you know, this is rather important, we're talking about learning to defend ourselves against V-Voldemort's Death Eaters —"

"Well said!" barked Macmillan, "Personally I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year, even with our O.W.L.s coming up!"

He looked around impressively, as though waiting for people to cry, "Surely not!" When nobody spoke, he went on, "I, personally, am at a loss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher upon us at this critical period. Even they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who, to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from using defensive spells —"

"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained in Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione, "is that she's got some… some mad idea that Dumbledore could use the students in the school as a kind of private army. She thinks he'd mobilize us against the Ministry."

Nearly everybody looked stunned at this news; everybody except Luna Lovegood, who piped up, "Well, that makes sense. After all, Cornelius Fudge has got his own private army."

"What?" said Potter and Malfoy, both completely thrown by this unexpected piece of information.

"Yes, he's got an army of heliopaths," said Lovegood solemnly.

"No, he hasn't," snapped Hermione.

"Yes, he has," said Lovegood.

"What are heliopaths?" asked Longbottom, looking blank.

"They're spirits of fire," said Lovegood, her protuberant eyes widening so that she looked madder than ever. "Great tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of —"

"They don't exist, Neville," said Hermione tartly.

"Oh yes they do!" said Lovegood giggled, causing Tracey to wonder how and why did this girl end up in Ravenclaw. But it was Potter's reaction to that statement that had them surprised.

"Are you seriously calling him a heliopath, Luna?" Potter asked, amused.

She shrugged, "Why not? He's tall, he uses fire, and tends to burn everything to the ground if angered. It fits him."

"Harry quit indulging her jokes! We need to decide how often we're going to meet and get Defense lessons!" Hermione scowled, realizing that the heliopaths Lovegood had been referring to was a person and not a creature.

"Well, once a week sounds cool," said Jordan.

Hermione nodded, "Agreed. Since we have all the Houses here, I need you all to inform me your Quidditch practice times so that we can arrange the lessons. Now the other thing to decide is where we're going to meet…"

This was rather more difficult, and the whole group fell silent. Except Potter, Malfoy and Lovegood who were glaring at each other. Sighing Potter then stood up and said, "I might have found us a place."

Everyone turned to stare, even Hermione, who gave a strangled, "When?"

"Just after you asked me about this whole thing," Potter sighed before continuing, "Malfoy, Luna, and I have been practicing there the past two weeks."

Hermione stared at Potter a little longer before sighing, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "Just tell us where we'll be meeting from now on."

As Potter described the location of the room, drawing everyone's attention to him, Tracey watched as Hermione took out a parchment and cast a few spells on it as quietly as possible. Most likely to weed out any spies if they snitched on them. Coughing to draw everyone's attention back to her, Hermione lifted the spelled parchment and a quill.

"I-I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. But I also think," She took a deep breath, "that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge — or anybody else — what we're up to."

The Weasley twins reached out for the parchment and cheerfully put down their signatures, but it was noticeable that several people looked less than happy at the prospect of putting their names on the list.

"Er…" said Smith slowly, not taking the parchment that George (or was it Fred? Tracey wasn't sure) was trying to pass him. "Well… I'm sure Ernie will tell me when the meeting is."

But Macmillan was looking rather hesitant about signing too. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

"I — well, we are prefects," Macmillan burst out. "And if this list was found… well, I mean to say… you said yourself, if Umbridge finds out…"

"You just said this group was the most important thing you'd do this year," Malfoy mockingly reminded him, drawing a glare from the rest of the room, particularly the youngest Weasleys, who surprisingly had remained silent the whole time.

"I — yes," said Macmillan, "Yes, I do believe that, it's just…"

"Do you really think Granger is stupid enough to leave this list lying around?" Daphne questioned, quirking an eyebrow, "If it makes you feel any better, the five of us Slytherins will be putting our names on that list. We're willing to place our bets on Granger and Potter's ideas, so are you willing to do so yourself?"

"Alright! Alright…" Macmillan said, looking slightly less anxious, "If that's the case of course I'll sign."

Nobody raised objections after Macmillan signed and the two Slytherins spoke up. Tracey did, however, see one Marietta Edgecombe give a rather reproachful look to Chang before adding her name, making Tracey decide to take note of her and inform Hermione later.

When the last person, which was Scamander, had signed, Hermione took the parchment back and slipped it carefully into her bag. There was an odd feeling in the group now. It was as though they had just signed some kind of contract. The Slytherins knew it was because if they turned their back on the contract, there would be consequences of some kind.

"Alright, Quidditch members who have the schedule, please stay behind! The rest of you can go, I'll inform you all when the meeting is by the end of the weekend!" Hermione smiled as she shooed them out of the room, leaving only the Quidditch players, Potter, Lovegood and the Slytherins behind.

Potter then asked, "Hermione? Malfoy, Luna and I need to discuss something with each other, we'll take our leave first."

Hermione just gestured at them to go, but judging from the confused looks from the two blonds in question, they had no idea what this was about.

This left Tracey, Daphne, Blaise and Theodore by themselves. Looking at each other, Tracey just shrugged and led them out the door to an empty table before suggesting, "Anyone wants butterbeer? My treat."

But as she turned around to order the drinks from Madam Rosemerta, Tracey froze for a second when she saw a man with flaming red hair with a black trench coat walking past the nearby window. Unknown to her, her eyes had flashed blue for a second as the feeling of flames wrapped around her, familiar and comforting. Shaking herself out of her sudden stupor, Tracey continued with what she was doing, ordering her four drinks and a few snacks to go along with them.

* * *

Following as Riku led them out of the Three Broomsticks and into Honeydukes, where the silver haired teen immediately went around hunting for chocolate, Roxas wondered what it was that Riku wanted to talk to them about. Naminé had no clue at first. Then she asked Riku, and Roxas had seen her eyes widen in surprise. Trying to get an answer out of her was almost impossible, as the blond just gave him a mysterious smile before dissolving into quiet giggles, leaving him completely clueless.

Of course it could have easily been Riku just wanting to spend his time with them, but the silver haired teen had been acting slightly suspicious all week. Roxas had attributed it to the defense club, but since the teen had kept up with the knowing smirks, Roxas knew it wasn't that.

Stepping out of the shop, Roxas sighed as he wondered what Riku was either planning or hiding from him.

"Something on your mind, Roxas?"

Staring out at the passing crowd, Roxas muttered in reply, "It's nothing Axel."

"Well, it can't be nothing since you're brooding out here. Come on, Roxy, what's the problem?"

"Riku has been acting strangely all day and I can't seem to figure out why. And quit calling me Roxy, Ax…el?" Roxas eyes widened when he finally realized the name he had spoken. Turning to the voice, Roxas saw a familiar pair of green eyes accompanied by a pair of teardrop tattoos and flaming red hair.

"Missed me Roxas?" The flame haired young man asked, the familiar grin and warm presence of his best friend and lover causing the blond's vision to blur with happy tears.

Recalling Naminé's sudden exclamation about the description of heliopaths during the meeting, Roxas gave a watery laugh, finally drawing links between the description and Axel, "Now I know who Naminé and Riku were talking about earlier! I can't believe you're working in the Ministry, Axel!"

"What are you talking about Roxas? What have Naminé and Riku been spreading about me? Roxas?!" Axel questioned, confused as Roxas dragged him away to talk, and probably understand how each other had been throughout their years away from each other.

Inside the shop, Riku smiled as he watched the two former Nobodies reunite at last, Naminé giggling as well when Axel was finally dragged off by Roxas, happy for the two.

* * *

In Dumbledore's office, the Sorting Hat awoke as it felt a change. A warm, dancing, fire reuniting with a light of destiny. Smiling as much as a hat could, it thought back to a separate Prophecy it had received along with the warning it gave to the school.

 _As the Flame joins with Destiny,_  
_the Tide shall begin to rise,_  
preparing for the crash of memories they will receive.

 _And through all this,_  
the World shall once more bring forth creatures from the forgotten past, __  
magic from the most powerful mage,  
and the techniques to make the most powerful of items.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little longer than expected (and way longer than usual), so I'm not going to leave any explanations on the changes this time. Please leave any questions about the chapter in the comments, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	19. Spy? Fights?

_**Chapter 15: Spy? Fights?** _

The following Monday in the Great Hall, everyone could feel the sudden animosity amongst the Houses, with a percentage of glares being directed at Slytherin, the rest directed at the cause of the problem.

Umbridge had created a new decree, disbanding all student groups. Clubs and sports teams now had to request to re-establish their groups. With how soon the decree had arrived, the students who had signed up for the defence group suspected that it had not been a coincidence, and they had a spy amongst their midst.

Ron and Harry had both ended up fighting with each other that morning, the red head having suspected the five Slytherins of treachery. Harry, having been the one who brought them in the first place, took offence to the accusation. The result could be seen even now, with Ron's robes still slightly singed from the balls of fire Harry had flung at him. Colin, to everyone's surprise, had been the one to put a stop to the fight, an overpowered Aguamenti drenching the both, flames and all.

On the other hand, there was one Slytherin that was completely oblivious to the current atmosphere. Draco Malfoy had come back from Hogsmead the two nights before smiling in a way that every student had wondering, 'Is this really Draco Malfoy?'. The Slytherins themselves had been left bewildered, as they had never really seen Draco's real smiles. Tracey Davis was the only one who did not react with disbelief, the girl inexplicably understanding why the blond was lost to the world, to the point that she herself did not understand why she felt exasperation. So while Slytherin was battered with accusing glares throughout the day, Draco's smile remained on his face, actually scaring some of the younger years who were more acquainted with his cruel smirks or dark scowls.

In Ravenclaw, the older years stared at Luna Lovegood, who was looking at the Slytherins with clear amusement on her face. She had a feeling that Draco had enjoyed Harry's surprise for him a little too much. That, and the letter from Percy that morning had left her giggling. Out of them however, one Marietta Edgecome had a satisfied smile, prompting Tracey to suspect her as a spy with narrowed eyes.

The Hufflepuffs... were the only ones who did not really have anyone act out of the norm. Maybe Rolf, who gave an exasperated sigh before returning to his book. The Puffs swore that he was more Ravenclaw than Hufflepuff.

Hermione had sat down with a sigh, thinking, 'What an eventful morning...'

Then she caught sight of Tracey giving her a look. Knowing the Slytherin would want to talk, Hermione gave an understanding nod.

* * *

That afternoon, Riku and Roxas met in the library, once again skipping their DADA class.

"So… What do you think about this morning," Riku questioned Roxas while he sorted through the multiple notes he had taken down.

Having actually paid attention to his surroundings despite appearances, Roxas replied, "Spy? Or did that woman just preempt us?"

Riku nodded, "Probably both. But how she had managed to get a spy within the student ranks this early is the problem."

"What do you suggest we do?" Roxas asked while snatching a piece of parchment from Riku's side of the table.

"Hermione is almost done setting up a schedule. So I say let's play it safe and wait for a week," Riku said.

"No. That's too long," Roxas muttered, "From what I know, all the quidditch captains are going to appeal to her tomorrow. That's one thing she will expect. However, she won't be expecting students to start breaking the new decree immediately. So let's do so on Wednesday."

Nodding in agreement, Riku began writing down a few lessons they could do on Wednesday.

* * *

Back in the DADA classroom, Hermione and Tracey had been passing messages between each other, made easier by the fact that they had chosen to sit with each other that day.

-What was it you wanted to talk to me about?-

_-Its about the weekend. There was a rather strange raven flying about those two days-_

-How strange?-

_-Peck your eyes out strange. It was really upset at that fast raven for some reason.-_

-It could be just normal behaviour. I mean our raven just barely tolerates the fast raven. Why the hell haven't we given them names yet?-

_-Because we are not too creative with names? And yes, I know its normal behaviour, but it was hovering around today as well. I'm sure that it was preening a little.-_

-So? A

Hermione yelped when a pudgy hand shot out and grabbed her paper. Umbridge just gave her a satisfied smile, "Ms Granger may I know what is this?"

Relaxing herself, and hoping that her voice didn't quiver, Hermione said, "Its discussion notes on raven behaviour ma'am. I went bird watching during the Hogsmead weekend."

"And may I know why you are passing notes in my class?" Umbridge asked sweetly. She had bought the lie.

Tracey held back a grimace as she plastered an apologetic look on her face and said, "We won't do it again."

Still smiling, Umbridge then said, "Good. But that will be twenty points off Gryffindor and Slytherin."

Breathing simultaneous sighs of relief, they both glanced at each other as a single though raced through their heads, _'That was way too close.'_

* * *

It was probably the incident at dinner that dispelled all the tension between houses. Harry had taken to sighing and muttering as he ate his food. Hermione, worried about him, decided to ask, "Something on your mind?"

Harry groaned as he recalled the stress that was planning for their lesson as well as studying for the OWLs, "What's _not_ on my mind right now?"

"A girl?" Colin asked, the younger Gryffindor having gotten closer to the rest of the fifth years to actively participate in their discussions at the dinner table. He had asked the question that would spark the mess that was Monday evening.

Harry looked up and stared at Colin, "Colin, why the bloody hell would a girl be on my mind right now? I'm already attached to someone."

Silence filled the Gryffindor table as they all stared at Harry in shock. Ginny and Ron were just as gobsmacked, even if they had not been that much apart of Harry's life of the late. And with the sudden stop in chatter from the most talkative table, every table in the Great Hall had gone silent themselves, wondering what was going on.

Then it happened. Hermione squealed in surprise and happiness, a collective "WHAT?!" came from the Weasley siblings, Colin gave a gulping "Oops," before laughing nervously, Lavender and Parvati both began asking Harry when it happened and who it was, Neville remained shocked as he wondered what sort of world he had entered if oblivious Harry was already attached.

"You do realise I still don't approve of it," a grumpy voice called out, prompting everyone to turn to the speaker and stare. One Draco Malfoy, blue eyes narrowed, arms crossed, a disapproving frown plastered on his face.

Everyone watched as Harry gave Draco a smirk, "Considering I knew him longer than you have, your approval is not needed."

"And if I still say no?" Draco drawled, wand sparking violently with magic as a predatory grin appeared on his face. The professors had gotten up and began to approach them, attempting to stop the fight before it even started.

Harry had taken out his own wand, prompting many to actually notice how different it was from his old one, now that they had a closer look. Mimicking the Malfoy heir's grin, Harry said, "Then we are going to have a problem aren't we?"

The professors were not fast enough to stop them from casting the first spell, both of which exploded into bursts of flame. Students looked upon the fading blaze in shock when they noticed that both Harry and Draco had disappeared from their starting point.

Then they heard a shout of "Keep your hands of my Other! _Spattica_!", then another shout "The fact that he's your Other does not matter! I was his childhood friend! _Spattica_!" before a clang echoed in the hall, causing everyone to look up when they realised the sound came from above them.

Professor McGonagall sputtered, "Did they say _S_ _pattica_?! But that's extremely old and advanced transfiguration! Where did they learn it?!"

Professor Flitwick was more curious of something else, "I wonder what charm they are using to stay up in the air."

Professor Snape kept his words to himself, 'Strange that Draco seems to be taking this fight seriously. But what was that spell they used to summon that blast of fire? It was stronger than most flames, just bordering on the level of Fiendfyre.'

Professor Dumbledore too, kept his words to himself, 'Childhood friend? Other? What in the world is that boy talking about now? I was sure that he had no friends in the muggle world. But when did he get a new wand?!'

Back at the fight, everyone watched as Harry and Draco continuously clashed in mid air, occasionally sending a few wandless spells at each other, further prompting surprise from most of the professors and students. The taunts and enraged shouts that came from them ranged from, "You were a bloody Nobody at the time!" to "Who the hell was it that caused him the most grief?!" to the startling taunt of "You're just upset that you spent only a short time with No. VIII!" and a proper taunt of "What, you jealous?" which lead to "No wait I take that back that was not my bloody approval damnit!".

The fight was only halted when Luna Lovegood stunned them both, prompting everyone else to sigh in relief. No one really knew what in the world the two had been fighting about, other than it had revealed that Harry Potter was attached to someone, and so was one Draco Malfoy. The professors felt that the resulting plummet of their stunned selves to the ground was punishment enough for them disrupting dinner with the rather unnecessary fight, and thus left it at that.

They were lucky that elsewhere in the castle, one Dolores Umbridge was held up by her classroom door locking on its own just as she was about to leave it, the door refusing to open despite several _Alohomora_ s.

* * *

_Way to Dawn,_

_What's this I hear from our Moon Wave about you fighting against Destiny at dinner tonight? Please don't tell me that it was about Sky. The last time you and Destiny fought about Sky you destroyed an entire floor of the damn tower!_

_Oh, and there's a package in there. The twins decided to stop fooling around and finally came around to fixing the kinks. Inside is something from your Dogfather as well as more self destructing parchment and the new envelopes._

_Cheers,  
Dancing Flame_

Riku looked at the package with narrowed eyes. Sitting on his shoulder, a rather bored Hedwig preened his hair while Riku contemplated on opening the package.

Sighing, Riku then opened it and found… a broken mirror? As well as the promised parchment and envelopes. There was also a note stuck to it.

_A small gift. I wanted to talk this Saturday through the Floo but Cloudy convinced me not to try since from what we've been hearing, things are getting a little bit dangerous communication wise. But I still want to talk. Say my name into the mirror please!_

_Zack Fair (Snuffles)_

Shrugging, Riku then muttered to the mirror, "Zack Fair."

Immediately, his reflection changed into the image of Zack. Zack gave a happy laugh, "I see you got my gift Harry!"

Riku stared at the mirror in surprise, and asked "Is this a scrying mirror?"

"Nah. This is a two-way mirror, I've got the other one of the pair. If you need to speak to me, just say my name into it; you'll appear in my mirror and I'll be able to talk in yours. Which is what's happening right now!" Zack gave a quiet laugh, "James and I used to use them when we were in separate detentions. Cloud reminded me that I still had a pair of them in the house somewhere and I managed to get Kreacher to find it for me."

Riku just shook his head with a smile. His godfather was still the same, even with memories of a past life. Then again, if he got them at fifteen like Riku did, it would have to be the same godfather he was dealing with over the years. Riku then asked, "So what did you want to talk to me about, Zack?"

Riku froze when Zack's face went from smiling to serious, as the former SOLDIER asked, "What is this I'm hearing of a secret defence group?"

He was in trouble, and Riku still had no idea who in the world had been spying on them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn tired. I wrote a majority of this in two hours. And I have no idea where my inspiration came from after nearly another three months. Oh well. Again, I'm altering a lot of HP's canon events that occur on the Monday after Hogsmead. You can see the very obvious difference too! Point out any strange issues for me will you?
> 
> Next chapter will take some time, however. I have a prac test coming up, so… wish me good luck! I'll get started once I'm done with that.
> 
> Read and Comment!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover.


	20. Interlude File: The Observers - Severus Snape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own.

Severus Snape had been having an intense headache for the past few months. No, it wasn't due to the potion fumes. No, it wasn't because of dunderheaded Gryffindors. No, it wasn't caused by the Weasley Twins. No. This headache, was due to the very obvious changes in attitude of a pair of bloody Marauders and two ruddy children who had mood swings to no end!

Black had started acting strangely a long time ago. When he had been framed for killing Potter _andLilydearsweetLilywhodidn'tdeservedeath_ , the man had cried and laughed. Severus had not been sure if it was insane laughter at first, but when he found out that a certain Rat had escaped death, he had seen that laughter in a different light. He had seen despair in that smile, the man's heart dead and pained by the loss of those dear to him. The same despair that had encroached his own heart when he heard of Lily's death.

During Black's sentencing he had been heard muttering several things that was strange. Things such as "I failed again" or "Cloudy where are you? I'm innocent!" or "Angeal don't go, don't leave me alone!" or "Gen? Why aren't you quoting Loveless?" or "Seph why did you kill them!". Perhaps the strangest had been this: "Aerith? Have you come to take me home again?"

Severus had been present for the sentencing. He had heard the man mutter these words out. He had wondered if Black had been expecting death for failing to escape. He had thought the man had really snapped. Severus knew better that Black had expected death for the failure of noticing the traitor, failure of protecting Lily and Potter, and had expected an 'Aerith' to take him 'home'.

Lupin had not been there. The mutterings were not reported; thus the wolf had not known of these mutterings. Severus had watched the wolf deteriorate and enter a despair induced coma. The wolf had talked in his sleep, and similar names were uttered. The names 'Zack' and 'Aerith' had been uttered with love and despair on several occasions, and 'Sephiroth' which could have easily been 'Seph' was often uttered in anger, rage or hopelessness.

Despite having been enemies with the Marauders, Severus was probably one of the only ones who knew them well thanks to Lily's constant observation of them. Which was why he had known something had changed in the remaining two Marauders when Lily and Potter had died.

Perhaps the change was more obvious in the Potter Spawn's third year. Black had escaped. And Lupin, having woken up a few years before, had been given the Defence position. Around the students, the wolf had soft smiles on his face, paying attention to them like a mother wolf would, and did not condone bullying or fights between classmates. Around the teachers, however, Lupin adopted a more stoic and cold attitude. He kept his answers to their questions short and blunt, or sometimes stayed silent. He did not automatically defer to Dumbledore like he did in the past too.

His inner wolf had also taken on a strange change. Severus had watched one of the changes and had been surprised had the clear sorrow and intelligence in those animalistic golden-green eyes. The wolf was mournful, sad, and often howled out to the moon. Perhaps, the wolf was a representation of how Lupin had been feeling.

Black had been a different story. He had seen the man purposefully set a trap for Pettigrew (and not Potter. He knew that now.). He had seen the man try his best to keep innocents out of harm's way (Black had tried to ensure no one had been in the Gryffindor common room before attacking. He knew now that the attack had not been a completely random attack.). The man had kept a cool, steady head, one that Severus had seen many times on the raids on Death Eater hideouts.

Severus had been slightly blinded by his resentment, anger, and revenge driven hatred of the man who had supposedly taken away Lily, and had cast blame on him and Lupin.

It was probably this year that things got strange. Seeing an extremely cheerful Black, who had been sullen and angry at him for the past few months, was slightly disorientating. Seeing Lupin act just as strangely i.e. throwing or whacking objects on Black's head. While it was entertaining, Severus was just bewildered. He had heard that the Marauders had been good friends, but not to the extent of whipping out a book to hit each other on the head when they did something stupid (It was what Lily had done to him when he got on one of his rant modes, while quoting poems at him). They had been close before, but Lupin had become extremely protective of Black and vice versa. Particularly if Molly had been extremely insulting to either of them.

Now, he could have dealt with Lupin and Black's attitude change. But when the Potter Spawn started showing signs of it as well, Severus had to stifle a groan. In all honesty, Severus had been expecting a rebellious streak like this for a while. He had noticed the physical changes, but the coldness and stoicness was on the same level as Lupin's! The sarcasm, wit and temper was all Potter though. At least that aspect had not changed. The boy had become closer to the twins as well, prompting a very frustrating headache when the twins had launched the all out prank war the day Potter decided to reveal his attitude and physical changes.

His own godson had been undergoing similar changes in attitudes. The boy still respected his mother and him, but Lucius had his hands full dealing with the surprising amount of hate Draco had been emitting. All Narcissa would say with a groan about the situation was this: "The outcome was worse than I thought it would be…"

She then explained that Draco had decided to renounce his ties to the Dark Lord, which had started _this_ argument. Severus had wondered where did the Blood Purist his godson had been disappear to. (Not that it really mattered. The farther Draco stayed away from that mad man, the better.)

School started, and an unlikely truce between Potter and Draco sprung up out of nowhere. Severus had to wonder if he had entered the twilight zone when he spotted the both of them studying together, making quips as if they were old friends. Even stranger was when Draco had cast a wandless spell at a flying piece of potion ingredient heading to Potter's potion, preventing it from even entering the pot. It did explain why Potter's potions had a sudden improvement. Someone had been sabotaging the boy's potions intentionally.

Then there was that bloody fight the Monday after the first Hogsmead weekend. He had not expected the two to learn the spell that turned a wand into a sword, _Spattica_ , or for the two to get into an all-out sword fight, or the wandless spells the two had been casting. Fire, lightning, wind, ice, and even _gravity_. Sure wizards had two _Levi-_ spells, but none had the outright power to bind someone in the air without a stunner. Even the spell that kept the two boys floating in mid-air was surprising.

Severus was having a headache at the nonsensical attitudes of these four people. And the nonsensical abilities that his godson and the Potter Spawn learned out of nowhere was headache inducing. Add on the headache that was the ministry toad, and Severus knew that the rest of the year was going to be a horrible experience. All he could do was bear with it and pray that the Dark Lord's next move would not cause headache inducing chaos. He could only hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part one of the Observers Universe! These people give us perspectives of character changes throughout the years. There is going to be another Observers chapter after the official chapter 16 of CTDRITL (Which is bothering me by the way.). A bit of history of the Observers Universe. It actually began as a discussion between me and one of my reviewers on Fanfiction.net regarding two extra reincarnated characters. These two, while they would not be active during this series due to their status in the HP universe as side characters that made occasional appearances, actually had me create the Observers Universe.
> 
> Now the Observers universe will be VERY DIFFERENT from the In the Background series. Observers can be anyone who have made appearances such as the teachers and students. They can be Order Members. They can be parents. THEY CAN BE ANYONE. In the Background are heavy reincarnations only chapters. So look forward to this mini side stories! (Yes, these are going to be canon incidents.)
> 
> By the way... did anyone notice something I included this chapter? Its a reference to the first omake AND In the Background I made!
> 
> Hope you've enjoyed reading this extra chapter! Leave a comment as you go!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	21. Magical Theory and Quidditch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: ... I don't own? Uh. The series used here belongs to someone else? Um... Yeah...

_**Chapter 16: Magical Theory and Quidditch** _

"So, explain to me why I had to hear from Axel about this group of yours?" Zack questioned Riku.

Eyes widening at the mention of Zack's source, Riku groaned, then sighed, "Yes we made a secret group. Are you upset with us?"

Zack grinned, "Nope, not really. Well, Molly was definitely mad when she overheard me reading parts of the letter out loud. I heard her screaming that none of you kids should make such a group."

"But...?"

"Cloudy gave you his approval," Zack gave a reassuring smile.

"Eh?" Riku started, confusion clear on his face

"He didn't tell you of his time as part of AVALANCHE? Cloud has experience in covert operations while dealing with a dictatorial like rule. Even if those operations tend to end in explosions..." Zack explained with a grin.

"Do I even want to know...?" Riku shook his head.

Zack then continued, "Anyways, your dad would have approved of your actions with glee as well. He wouldn't take this sort of oppression lying down."

"So this was just to tell me you approved then Zack?" Riku muttered, while readying a Firaga under the mirror.

"Yeah...? Wait, Harry what are you- Oh god, are you trying melt the mirror?! You're going to destroy the connection!" Zack yelped when he saw a flicker of flames.

"Then don't scare me like that!" Riku hissed as he dismissed the flames.

"Anyways…" Zack said once he calmed down, "Have you found a place for your group to meet?"

"Yes, Zack," Riku said, exasperated at his godfather's worry, "Some of the places on the Marauder's Map had caved in, but I managed to find a place that was _not_ on the map."

"Good," Zack smiled, "Now I'm sure you are busy tomorrow, so go ahead and get some rest, kid!"

With that the connection between the mirrors was cut, and all Riku could see was his face on the mirror.

* * *

Tuesday… had been somewhat surprising. Several clubs had gone to Umbridge for approval for their reformation. Thanks to some input from Draco (Who had decided to use his father's influence for once, albeit reluctantly), all four Quidditch teams got the approval to reform. And because all four Quidditch teams had gone together to get the approval, Draco had the chance to pass on the meeting place and time to the Quidditch captains involved with their group. While suspicious that it had been Draco who gave out the notice, subtle nods from both Potter and Hermione quelled them immediately.

Hermione had taken Tracey's warning the previous day to heart as well, and had quickly begun her research into Marietta Edgecombe's reluctant attitude during the meeting at the Three Broomsticks. It was Draco who put things into perspective, when the two girls met up with Harry and him in the library.

"Edgecombe's mother is part of the Ministry," Draco started, "And from what I remember, her position on it is rather precarious due to Umbridge. Then again, a lot of people are rather resentful of Umbridge in the Ministry, yet don't dare to go against her due to the power she has as Undersecretary."

"So she does not want to damage her parent's reputation out of fear for their position on the Ministry?" Potter hummed, "That's kind of stupid. I mean, many students joined despite their parents being on the Ministry. What makes her any different from them?"

Tracey and Hermione watched the two as they mulled over their reasons, when Draco had an idea that caused Hermione to stall.

"Harry, why don't we get Percy to handle this situation?" Draco suggested. Hermione had sputtered and stared at the blond in shock. Tracey was just as surprised. ' _Percy? As in Percy_ Weasley _? The odd child of the Weasley Clan? Since when was Draco on first name basis with_ him _?!_ '

"Get Percy to talk to the girl's parents? Or the girl herself? Both choices are risky you know," Potter asked.

"The girl, damn it," Draco hissed. "If her parents are that worried of their position, asking Percy to talk to them puts him in danger of being found out by Umbridge. We do _not_ want to lose him this early!"

"And is talking to Edgecombe any better?" Potter quirked an eyebrow.

"No. But at least with her it is easier to sway her choices since it not only affects her directly, but her friends and fellow classmates as well," Draco huffed.

" _Wait just a minute!_ Since when were you friends with Percy?! And since when was he an ally?!" Hermione whisper hissed.

Potter smirked, "Who do you think gave me information on the function rooms in the Three Broomsticks? Also Percy is Draco's bo-mhmfff?!"

Tracey blinked. Weasley was Draco's what? The blushing Draco had not been fast enough covering Potter's mouth and let the first syllable escape enough for her to catch.

Boyfriend. That explained a lot about Draco's strange behaviour the days after Hogsmead. He was lovesick!

"Bo… what?" Hermione asked. Apparently she hadn't caught that. Silly girl.

" _Anyways_! Leave it to Percy?" Draco said, changing the topic while still forcing down his blush.

Laughing quietly, Potter replied, "Leave it to Percy it is. I'll contact him later!"

* * *

Percy Weasley, or as he mentally referred himself, Axel, stared at the annoyed, soot covered, owl in front of him, glaring at him as he took the red envelope from it. Opening it carefully, he winced when he saw the scathing words that started the letter, now knowing exactly why the owl was so annoyed.

_Dancing Flames,_

_You sent me a faulty batch and got me in trouble with Hedwig. The parchment turned into ash the minute I tried putting it into the envelope, and it destroyed the rest of the batch. And because Hedwig had been standing right below it, the ash got all over her. I did not want to waste any more time so I promised her that you would give her a bath. Fix the envelopes or the parchment, which ever ones was faulty in the first place, idiot._

The letter then went on to give him a few instructions about some girl named Marietta and how they needed him to find some way of talking her out of ratting their defense group to the toad blah blah blah.

Hearing an impatient hoot, Axel glared at the ash covered owl as he muttered, "What am I, his house elf? And why the hell are they sticking me with this any ways?! I hate icky jobs! Even literal ones! And I'm way too busy at the moment!"

Axel was _so_ going to leave this whole Marietta stuff to the very last minute just to spite Riku.

Yet he didn't know how badly he would regret making that decision, considering how it indirectly led to Umbridge's rise in power in the school months later.

* * *

_Wednesday, 9_ _th_ _October  
Room of Requirement_

Arriving first with Hermione, Naminé, Roxas, and Tracey Davis (Who, some way or another, joined them in their conspiring), Riku began pacing back and forth in front of the wall he knew contained the Room of Requirement all the time thinking a single sentence.

_Give us somewhere to train, somewhere for us to learn, somewhere that will hide us from prying eyes that wish to hurt us, a place to practice spells or skills that we need to learn._

"Harry," Hermione said as she sharply breathed in on his third walk past the wall. She and Tracey both stared in both wariness and awe at the ornate set of doors that had appeared out of nowhere.

Gesturing for them to move inside, Riku heard the astonished gasp from both of them. For instead of a simple room like they were expecting, they had walked into an outdoor courtyard, training dummies lined up around it, an out of place bookshelf sitting in a corner, a few weapon racks in another, as well as another shelf full of items Riku was sure the Room provided on its own whim, thinking it would be of use to them.

Hermione had immediately moved herself to the bookshelf, mouthing out in awe some of the obscure titles that she was sure had been lost in time while she ran her fingers over the worn leather backings. Not only that, she was surprised when even the more recent books appeared on the shelf.

Tracey had found herself sifting through the shelf of items, spotting Foe-Glass, Sneakoscopes, and strangely enough a bunch of Weasley prank products. Then her fingers brushed over something out of place. Tracey blinked when she saw what she knew was a seashell. What it had been doing on a shelf full of items for the paranoid auror, she didn't know, but she felt nostalgia, touching the strangely shaped coloured shell, before picking it up and putting it in her pocket.

A knock on the door revealed the remaining three Slytherin participants, Daphne Greengrass immediately storming up to Tracey and questioning why the girl had left her behind. All Tracey could do was provide a sheepish smile and apologise for leaving her friend. Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini just gave Roxas a glare for leaving them to deal with Pansy's bitching at dinner, to which he gave an indifferent shrug.

Students slowly began trickling in after that, first Gryffindors, all of whom visibly balked at moving from an indoor location to an outdoor one, then the Ravenclaws, who all made a beeline towards the books, with one or two throwing questions at Riku about the room. Hufflepuffs came in last as it approached 8pm.

With every student sitting on the soft grass of the courtyard, Riku nodded and made its way to the door to close it. As it shut, Riku blinked when an ornate key appeared in the key hole, twisting itself to lock the door. The door itself had disappeared, blending into its surroundings, but the key hole remained floating in the air. The key then floated into his hands, a reassuring pressure surrounding him as he took it. Riku could only shake his head and smile. The Room seemed to like him a little too much.

Riku then faced the room and cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, "Well, welcome to the Room of Requirement! Obviously this will be our go-to place for any practice sessions we have. Before we begin though, how do you all find the room so far?"

"It's fantastic!" Cho said, with several murmurs of agreements echoing around the room.

"Bizarre though," Fred thought out loud as he frowned, "George and I were pretty sure this place led to a broom closet, not the outdoors."

"Then again, Fred," George continued, "We didn't really think to check it after the door disappeared on us, did we?"

Dean, who had been sitting close to the shelf of items, gestured to them and asked, "So what's this stuff anyways? I know I see some of the Weasley Twin's stuff there but what about all the others?"

A yelp of surprise came from the twins when they heard that, before rushing to the shelf and staring wide-eyed at their own products sitting on it. The reply to Dean's question, however, came from Tracey.

"It's a paranoid auror's treasure trove," she said, garnering some surprised looks in return. Seeing the looks, she justified her answer, "What? Most of the items there are Dark Detectors, aren't they? I mean Professor Moody had many of them in his office, and he was a former auror. And the twins' prank items are perfect for distractions or rendering an enemy immobile for a period of time."

Blinking in surprise, the twins muttered, "Never thought to use them that way…"

Hermione then asked him, "Anyways, shouldn't we elect a leader?"

That prompted several nods of agreements, several of which enthusiastically voting Riku as their leader. The only ones that didn't, were the Slytherins, Naminé, and Riku himself, who had groaned at the idea.

"Hermione, I know what you are trying to do, but _no_ ," Riku sighed, "No naming me as the overall leader, no using her fear that Dumbledore is making an army against her by naming this group after it – Yes Hermione, I knew you were going to do that –" Hermione pouted at that interjection, "And no writing any of such things on that list of names you have."

Facing the group, Riku explained, "Having multiple leaders makes it harder for Umbridge to pinpoint who was the main creator of this group. Having a group name that does not target her fears, would make it easier for us to speak about the group in public, and would probably leave us with less of a backlash should we get found out."

Blaise Zabini had to raise his brow in surprise. It was a sound argument. It ensured that even if one of the leaders had to take the fall, there would still be someone to pick up where the other had left off. Leaving their group name off the list of names ensured that it could not be used against them as proof that it was a recruitment list. That, and it would also leave zero proof that they were practicing spells. The only possible proof would be a physical witness, but it was only if any of them would willingly betray the group.

Sighing, Riku then continued, "In any case, we should actually get started on spell practice. We'll start with the more basic spells, like the Disarming Charm, then work our way up as time goes by."

"Oh please," Zacharias Smith commented, rolling his eyes and folding his arms, "Do you know how _basic_ the Disarming Charm is? A simple _Expelliarmus_ isn't exactly going to help us against You-know-who _or_ his Death Eaters."

Riku then replied with his own question to the rest of the students, "How many of you know a wizard who was able to fight without a wand?"

Everyone froze. The thought of a wizard fighting without his wand was absurd! They wouldn't be able to cast magic if they had no training in wandless magic, and most purebloods looked down on the use of muggle defense. Then they realised what Riku had been pointing out.

Smiling as he saw the looks of understanding fill their faces, Riku said, "Alright, since we are all in agreement this time, I suggest we split into groups of threes, with at least one Seventh or Sixth year per group. This way one of you is always there to check for mistakes in the other two's spellcasting. Our aim today is to practice fluidity of casting the spell, our precision with it, as well as improve the speed of our spell casting."

All the students began splitting themselves into the groups of three. Predictably, the Slytherins, Naminé, and Neville got left out. Unpredictably, Hermione decided to group herself with the two Slytherin girls, and Naminé with Blaise and Theodore. That however, left Neville between Riku and Roxas.

As the shouts of " _Expelliarmus_ " began filling the courtyard, the clatter of wands hitting the shelves and racks, Riku said to Neville, "I'm going to give you one free shot at me Neville, then I'm going to see if anything needs correcting. After that, practice with Draco. Try and out speed him or dodge the spell. He will be doing the same."

Neville nodded, then cast the spell. Riku felt his wand jerk out of his hand and smiled. Nothing wrong with pronunciation, and Riku had been a little surprised at the strength of the tug. Neville however, was looking in shock.

"I did it?" Neville stared wide eyed as Riku walked away to pick up his wand, before breaking out in a grin, "I never had the spell work for me before! I DID IT!"

"Good one!" Riku said encouragingly, "Let me warn you though, in a real duel, or even in practice, your opponent will not have their wand hanging loosely by their side, nor will they ever let you be the first to get a hit in. They will try to dodge or cast a spell faster to interrupt your own."

Neville nodded at the advice, knowing that when he practiced with the blond Slytherin, who had been watching the other students practice, he would not have the privilege of always getting the spell to meet its target.

Riku smiled before asking Roxas, "So, how was it so far? I didn't get to see much."

Roxas shook his head, "No good. The higher years have the charm down, with a few exceptions, but the younger years are the ones that are really struggling."

"Not unexpected, Roxas," Riku muttered, "Go train Neville will you, just don't scare him too much."

Roxas nodded and turned to face Neville, who had waited for them to finish their conversation. The predatory grin from Roxas immediately put the Gryffindor on edge, and Neville braced himself to cast his own spell.

Riku then walked off to observe the rest of the students. He had to ask Fred to stop playing around and allow Zacharias Smith and Anthony Goldstein have a chance to practice their spells. He had to force George to stop messing with Michael Conner, and to force Michael to practice his spells on George instead of Ginny, seeing that the boy was unwilling to practice on the girl, who was doing very well.

He had to help Alicia correct the aim of the Creevey brothers more than once, since while enthusiastic, they were responsible for some of the items around the rooms flying off their shelves. At least it had not been the weapons on the rack or a Weasley prank pro – Riku spoke too soon as a Canary cream soared off the shelf and ended up in the nearby Ernie Macmillian's mouth. This caused the teen, who had been flourishing his wand unnecessarily and giving his partner way too many openings of attack, to chew and swallow in surprise. The students halted when they heard the outraged squawk and caught sight of the burst of bright yellow feathers. Riku could only shake his head. That would teach Ernie to pay more attention to his surroundings.

After that tiny interruption that had everyone laughing, Riku went back to observing the rest of the students. And promptly found the exception for the upper years that Roxas had been talking about. Cho Chang had messed up the incantation for the spell several times in a row, at one point set Marietta Edgecombe's sleeve on fire. Watching them bewildered was Terry Boot, his face showing that Cho had not begun to mess up before Riku stepped in.

Riku could only groan and immediately prompted Cho to stop and let Marietta and Terry have a go. The glare he got from Marietta only made him sigh. It was just his luck that Cho had not been around on Monday evening for that impromptu announcement about his relationship status, and Marietta, who Riku knew had been forced to join because of Cho, and suffered because of Cho's mess ups, was taking her anger about her situation out on him.

Quickly walking away before Cho could attempt to talk to him, Riku made his way to check up on the Slytherins. Unsurprisingly, the four of them were particularly well practiced with the spell. Blaise and Theodore both looked on at Naminé in shocked when she had interrupted them by disarming them both, prompting them to turn their practice into a three-way disarming match. Hermione, while less experienced with the spell, made up for it with precision, occasionally taking out either Tracey or Daphne's wands while she dodged.

Neville was doing surprisingly well against Roxas, the blond often getting his wand sent far if he got disarmed by the unassuming Gryffindor. Roxas himself had a satisfied grin, noticing the strength of the spell's pull on his wand increasing as Neville got more confident

Noticing the time, Riku knew that they had to stop the session before they were caught outside of curfew. Shouting would not work to get their attention with the level of noise around them. Then the quiet hum of magic of the Room alerted Riku to the fact that the Room had read his mind, and glancing quickly at the shelf, he spotted a whistle. Grabbing it off the shelf, Riku blew into it, prompting the shouts of ' _Expelliarmus!_ ' to stop.

"Okay, that wasn't too bad. But as some of you have noticed, there is definitely room for improvement," Riku commented, "We're out of time, however, so let's leave it at that and meet again next week, same time, same place. We'll alert you all somehow should there be additional sessions available. Keyword will be Magical Theory."

At that the room blinked, and Ron was surprisingly the one to question it.

"Why that of all things? Isn't Magical Theory the complete opposite of what we are really doing?" Ron asked, face scrunched up in confusion and bewilderment.

Roxas was the one who replied, "That's why it's perfect. Magic theory is something that we can easily use in a conversation, if we steer the topic to a spell casting subject like Transfiguration or Charms. In fact," at this Roxas gave the group a devious grin, "Since all we are being taught in DADA is theory, Umbridge will never question it should we bring it up in our conversations."

Roxas really had to hand it to Riku. He really was not taking any chances with regards to keeping the group safe. It was too the point that Riku was showing his more Slytherin side.

Seeing as everyone began muttering agreements on Roxas' explanation, Riku smiled and headed towards the floating keyhole. Pulling out the key and slotting it into the keyhole, Riku allowed the Room to unlock itself as he took out the Marauder's Map to ensure that there were no teachers on the seventh floor. Gesturing the students to leave in groups of three or four, Riku watched as they each made their way to the dorms.

* * *

Riku sighed. It was just the five of them who were involved in the entire planning of the group left in the Room. Naminé had curled up under the Room-created tree, having fallen asleep waiting for the group to leave. Roxas had gone to one of the weapon racks and grabbed a pair of shinai and began expertly hitting the dummy. Tracey had gone back to the shelf of Paranoid Auror's Gear, for some very odd reason. As for Hermione…

"That… was way better than I expected it to be…" Hermione softly said. "I mean, while we didn't get much done other than practice a single spell, you did well getting everyone to have at least one of the upper year students with them."

"I was not given that much of a choice, really," Riku groaned. "It was either compromise and let the Seventh Years help teach the younger students alongside me, or I am the only teacher while splitting everyone into pairs, and have everyone mad at me for being a 'glory hound' again."

Hermione twitched and muttered under her breath, "Modest."

"So will our sessions be following the same format then?" Naminé yawned, having woken up from her short nap.

"Only for spells that does no physical harm. We have the dummies for those, Luna. You know that," Riku explained gently, "Now go back to your dorm and get some rest."

Yawning once more as she nodded, Naminé left the Room in a sleepy daze. Roxas and Tracey had already left the Room while Riku and Hermione had been talking. Nodding to each other, Riku and Hermione left the Room together, and the training grounds of the Land of Departure vanished as the Room of Requirement closed its doors.

* * *

_Saturday, 2_ _nd_ _November_  
Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch  
Gryffindor VS Slytherin

It had been almost three weeks since the first meeting of the Magical Theory group… at least, that was what they had started calling it. It had been hard finding a compromise between Quidditch practice schedules to allow for a regular night for meetings. In the end, it had been Hermione and Naminé who found the answer to their very messy messaging system. Protean Charm on fake galleons: one master galleon, which was in Riku's hands, with four connected galleons, one for each house representative, which were connected to the rest. Susan Bones was willing enough to represent her house. (The Slytherin Quintet were rather disturbed at how similar the charm functioned to the Dark Mark, however.)

Of course, during that time they had moved on from the Disarming Charm, and had gone on to learning the Leg Locker Curse. Riku was hoping that by the time they were done, they would be able to learn the Patronus Charm.

But for now…

Despite the presence of the truce, tensions were still running high between Gryffindors and Slytherins, mainly due to Professors McGonagall and Snape. Both Head of Houses, unknowingly or not, antagonised each other by trying to out book the open slots for the Quidditch pitch. This, as usual, degenerated into arguments between the two teams, though Riku and Roxas ended up practicing with each other while waiting for the arguments to stop.

It was the match that honestly made every student wonder what in the world was going on with Slytherin's internal structure. While half of the Slytherins were singing that damnable 'Weasley is our King' song, the other half had sat on the stands silently, unnerving not just the rest of the students, but their own Head of House. It was blatantly obvious that there was dissension in the Snakes' ranks.

"Was any of this your idea?!" Riku hollered to Roxas over the noise as they hovered on their brooms, waiting for a glimpse of the snitch.

"I'm not that stupid!" Roxas shouted back, causing his own team to stare at their Seeker in surprise.

Riku, having noticed Ron let two more shots into the Gryffindor goal, sighed, and quickly scanned the pitch. Spotting the familiar hint of gold, Riku immediately streaked past the Slytherin beaters, Roxas following close behind him when he too caught sight of the Snitch on his end of the pitch.

The result was expected. The aftermath, was not.

Roxas had seen Crabbe swing a Bludger to the unprotected back of the Gryffindor Seeker, and yelled out a warning to Riku, catching everyone's attention. Their eyes then widened in surprise when Riku reacted faster than they expected him to, conjuring a large blue bat out of nowhere and swinging it at the offending Bludger, sending it flying completely out of the pitch.

The students stared in awed silence. Then cheers erupted in the Gryffindor stands, Naminé's lion hat roaring out flames in celebration. Riku had technically ended the match the moment he got the Snitch, but his fast reaction to the unsportsmanlike attack on his person had concluded it with a bang.

The Slytherin quidditch team were too shocked at the outcome to insult any of the Weasleys like they had planned on should Gryffindor win. Roxas was the only one who congratulated Riku on his win out of the Slytherins.

Out on the stands, Tracey had a smile on her face as she watched the two Seekers. In her hands she had clenched a star shaped charm, having prayed for the safety of Potter and Draco before they made their way onto the field. If anyone looked closer, they would have noticed her eyes were sky blue the entire time. And if any of the reincarnated students looked closely at the charm she was holding, they would have been surprised by a Thalassa shell Wayfinder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4621 words. 4621 words for a single chapter. Good lord.
> 
> This chapter. Killed me for the past three days. I was literally drained from writing this chapter. I kept sleeping in, this morning I woke up late for class, and it does not help that I HAD no lectures for the past three days thanks to a lecturer up disappearing. We were given the heads up, but it was still draining.
> 
> I actually did not intend the chapter to get this long. However, thanks to the first 'DA' meeting being one of the most important ones, I actually wanted to get a few things out of the way. Firstly, was dealing with any possible evidence for Umbridge to find. Do you know how many times I face palmed when Ginny suggested Dumbledore's Army? THAT WAS JUST ASKING FOR UMBRIDGE TO COME AND ATTACK ALL OF YOU! And Hermione, with all her thinking ahead, she never thought that it was possible for the list to be taken from them should they be found out.
> 
> Second was dealing with Marietta Edgecombe early… Which we all know will end in failure thanks to Axel. I still need Marietta to report to Umbridge. For plot reasons. (Also. I completely skipped Cho's little scene. It was really unnecessary in the book other than revealing Marietta's dislike.)
> 
> Third… was managing a proper teaching session for Riku to work with. Honestly, it's with this that you all get to see Keyblade Master Riku and his teaching prowess. It will get even better soon. I have something VERY special planned for after Hagrid's COMC lessons. Venquine1990 should have an inkling as to what I'm talking about. It won't be for a few chapters though, as Tracey has almost reached breaking point.
> 
> Now… I know what you are thinking, the quidditch match was unnecessary. But it wasn't. The match was more to show how divided the Slytherins were to the rest of the houses in regards to what they had been doing. A truce was a truce, and deliberately antagonising Gryffindor was the wrong thing to do. Gryffindor maintains this truce by NOT outright retaliating. Roxas and his faction maintains this truce by STAYING OUT OF THE CONFLICT. Sev will be having words soon!
> 
> But the other reason, was really to show how far along Tracey was with her change. Again, she's reaching breaking point soon. So you know what to expect in a while!
> 
> Anyways, you all know the drill! Leave a comment as you go! I'll be posting the Observers chapter in a short while, so remember to check it out!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	22. The Observers - Watery Illusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to DarkKitsuneFluffy on FFn, who gave me the idea in the first place! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING A CONSTANT REVIEWER! I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!
> 
> ALSO: Extra scene at the end, was a post-Valentine's Day scene. If you have not read the Valentine's Day omake, please check it out before reading this chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: See the previous chapter. Or the one before that. Or the one all the way at the beginning. XD

**The Observers - The Water**

Colin Creevey was confused. As of the late, he had slowly started becoming wary of one Harry Potter. Maybe it was the changes in his appearance that made him want to stay far away or beg for forgiveness. Maybe it was the new attitude of his, slightly more Slytherin, a little less Gryffindor. Or maybe it was those memories playing up again.

Memories that had burst forth with the trauma that was being petrified. Oh, he was still the same person, but he became well aware of the changes of those around him. Be it personality or appearance. He still had a bit of a big mouth though. He had _not_ meant to start that fight between Harry and Malfoy.

Due to these changes, Colin instinctively knew the fifth year would no longer appreciate him constantly fanboying over him. Instead, Colin's focus turned to the similarly changed Draco Malfoy and Tracey Davis, who both gave him a sense of familiarity. He knew them. Was friends with them. At least, that was what his memories told him. But a Gryffindor can't really say that he's friends with Slytherins out in the open, can he? Thus, he restrained himself, only watching from afar.

But maybe his focus should have been on a certain Hufflepuff...

* * *

**The Observers - The Illusion**

Rolf Scamander was an oddity in Hufflepuff. As studious as a Ravenclaw, and as sly as a Slytherin. And although Puffs were well known for being very friendly, he often kept to himself, rarely interacting with anyone. Most of the Hufflepuffs deferred to him however, being a well known voice of reason, especially when Cedric Diggory died.

Also, unlike most of the school, he shied away from Harry Potter right from the start, often saying that the scent of darkness hurt his head. This of course confused many. After all, why would the Saviour of the Wizarding World smell of darkness?

He did, however, watch people from afar. Specifically, Percy Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Tracey Davis, and Luna Lovegood.

The four of them had easily caught his attention due to their scents. Weasley was of fire, Malfoy and Davis disgustingly smelt of light, with a hint of wind in Malfoy's scent. Lovegood had the scent of paper, paints, other art materials, and the occasional odd scent that he didn't recognize, but knew to belong to the creatures the girl often saw.

He observed them. During his first, second and third years he watched, and slowly but surely, the memories of his past trickled through. Although for some strange reason, the face that Tracey's scent belonged to was often blurred, the words in the memories covered in static.

But he really should have paid more attention to that strangely familiar scent of water coming from Gryffindor...

* * *

**The Observers - The Magical Theory Group**

Everyone stared. Today, Riku thought it would be a good idea to see what would be everyone's most suitable weapon. And almost everyone chose the more common weapons of the weapons rack the Room had provided. Meaning swords, daggers, knuckles, bows and arrows, tessen, staffs and more. However, one person had picked something rather unconventional from the Room.

Colin Creevey had chosen a sitar. A blue sitar that Rolf knew belonged to Demyx. And Colin was expertly playing songs with said instrument, causing everyone to become entranced by the music.

Sighing, Rolf snapped his book closed, causing everyone to snap out of their trance.

Colin though, looked up in surprise at the awfully familiar sound, and his eyes widened when he saw Rolf walk towards him with an extremely familiar book in hand, the beginnings of what he recognized as a Thunder spell on his lips.

The minute he took a step back, Rolf had completed the spell and a bright yellow bolt struck where Colin once stood. Realizing the danger he was in, Colin immediately slung his Sitar onto his back and began running as the Hufflepuff began slinging spell after spell at him.

Turning around when he was cornered, Colin took his Sitar and strummed, instinctively summoning forth bodies of water. Laughing at the startled look on everyone's faces, particularly Riku, Roxas, Xion and Naminé, he started strumming a melody, manipulating the water to attack Rolf and shouting, "Dance, Water, Dance!"

Rolf was hit by the attack, but his form shimmered and disappeared, causing everyone to wonder where he went.

"Where do you think you're aiming, Colin?" the voice of Rolf echoed in the room as a human sized version of the book he had been holding appeared. The book opened, and Rolf stepped out, book still in hand, giving Colin a glare.

However, the fourth year Gryffindor had run out of the Room in a hurry, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the Hufflepuff's magic. Rolf then decided to calmly give chase, knowing that the session was going to be useless for him anyways. After all, he already had his Book of Retribution, though he had only found it by complete accident.

Riku, on the other hand, sighed, and muttered to the remaining students, "And that, was an example of how some magical weapons can be used to cast specialised types of magic. I seriously doubt that anyone else here will be able to pull it off, however, as I have a feeling that those two were special cases."

"How is a book a weapon, Harry?" Hermione asked quietly as she practiced with a simple spear against Riku's odd sword. Riku didn't answer, leaving her confused and wondering for the rest of the session.

Xion just whispered to Roxas, "That was Demyx and Zexion wasn't it."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Roxas sighed as he nodded. Naminé just looked confused, as she had not received any indication that the two were to be reincarnated. At all. Not even in her drawings, which were often prophetic.

* * *

  **Extra Scene:**

_**15** _ _**th** _ _**February, 1997  
The Great Hall** _

The day after Valentines Day had everyone starring at the couple known as Sora and Riku. Ginny was seen spitting insults at Sora, though the blue eyed boy was too occupied with talking to Riku to even notice. Roxas was giving chilling glares at Riku, though the teen understood why.

But the minute they sat down at their table, the sound of guitar chords caused them to look behind.

Standing in the middle of the hall, Colin looked right at the couple while grinning and strumming the Arpeggio. And singing.

" _There you see him,_  
_Sitting there across the way_  
 _He don't got a lot to say_  
 _but there's something about him_  
 _And you don't know why_  
 _But you're dying to try_  
 _You wanna kiss the_ -URK!"

Everyone blinked when they saw a bolt of lightning interrupt the song, charring the singer to crisp. Then Riku and Sora stared when Rolf walked up and bowed, "I'm sorry about this idiot. Please continue with your meal."

He then dragged Colin away while muttering, "I believe I warned you about doing this in front of everyone," while Colin himself gave a dazed whine of, "Zexy... Why..."

Sora just sweat dropped at the scene and asked Riku, "Was that who I think it is?"

Riku just groaned in response, and wondered just how the two reincarnations had stayed hidden for so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS WAS MY ORIGINAL OBSERVERS UNIVERSE CHAPTER! This had been sitting in my iPhone for months already. Considered a canon incident, this reincarnated duo, will be focused a little more on cameo appearances. Heck, Rolf Scamander already made his appearance in Chapter 14, and I've been trying to give Colin a few appearances as well re: Chapter 15's fight was caused by him! And yes, the Magical Theory Group Observers is a post ItB Xion chapter meeting. There will be a reference to this particular incident later during a future chapter!
> 
> This series is actually dedicated to DarkKitsuneFluffy, who is one of my more frequent reviewers on Fanfiction.net for a whole bunch of my fics. They gave me this little idea in the first place, so I decided to have this made. And just recently, thanks to some inspiration, I posted the first Observers Universe chapter. While that is officially the first chapter, THIS is the Unofficial First Chapter in the Observers Universe.
> 
> Demyx and Zexion/Ienzo will not be making too many appearances however, as they weren't part of the original 10 I had planned on reincarnating, thus I did not have many plans to fit them into future chapters. (Expect Colin to be playing music occasionally, and Rolf reading lots of books and doing research. Or either of them causing problems in the background.)
> 
> Leave a comment as norm!  
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	23. Painfully Difficult Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Look at the previous chapter for that guys. In fact, please make sure you read Chapter 16 and not just Watery Illusions!

_**Chapter 17: Painfully Difficult Conversations** _

Hermione sighed with relief by the time they returned to their dorms from the Quidditch pitch. For a rather eventful match, it was lucky no one got hurt during it. In fact, it was the first time that Harry came out of a match unscathed. The only thing that honestly got hurt, was the Slytherin Quidditch team's pride, and Ron's own ego. Though she fully expected the Weasley to snap out of it once he got his head out of his own ass and start thinking things through properly.

However, a certain someone decided to spring yet _another_ educational decree on them, announcing it to the whole school the moment they stepped into the Great Hall. A decree that made it so that the so called 'High Inquisitor' got authority to override decisions on punishments, privileges, points, or anything that a professor of Hogwarts had authority over. Unsurprisingly, the Head of Houses were less than pleased about this fact. Unsurprisingly, Harry was pissed about this fact. Unsurprisingly, a small tongue of fire appeared out of nowhere to burn the offending piece of parchment to bits, and Umbridge could only watch in horror as the decree literally went up in smoke.

Hermione had to hand it to either Harry or Malfoy. So far, the two of them had been the only ones to perform this form of wandless magic. She knew it had to be wandless now, since they had wasted an entire hour in the Great Hall getting their wands checked via _Prior Incantato_ , thanks to the increasingly paranoid Umbridge. Their spells had left no proof of their use, and with the lack of proof Umbridge could not make anyone take the blame for destroying the decree.

This, though, meant that Harry was in a bad mood. Hermione sighed as she watched her friend pace around the room hissing in what was obviously Parseltongue, probably cursing the Ministry and Umbridge. The Ministry had definitely earned Harry's ire by now, and their constant interference was not welcome in Harry's eyes.

Looking out of the window of their common room, Hermione blinked when she spotted smoke rising from the previously empty cabin that was Hagrid's home.

"Harry," Hermione began when she was cut off by a scathing hiss from her friend. She could easily guess what he was trying to say, so she simply replied, "Harry, Hagrid's back."

Hermione watched as her friend's eyes widened and dashed towards the window. Seeing the broad smile on his face, she knew what he was going to suggest next, and went to grab her gloves, scarf and hat. By the time she came back, Harry had dressed himself as well, holding his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map. She did blink when heard a flap of wings dive past her, and looking at Harry, he shrugged and said, "I thought that I'd invite Draco and Luna with us. They'll probably meet with us at the entrance."

And they did. She did not know how did the Slytherin and Ravenclaw get out of their dorms unnoticed, but she was a little grateful. The two had long since become her friends, and it felt wrong leaving them out of this. She did, however, feel a twinge of guilt for leaving Ron behind, but until he changed his attitude, and Harry forgave him of whatever wrong he committed, she knew their friendship would be strained.

Under the invisibility cloak, Hermione watched as Harry melted a path through the snow with the wandlessly cast fire while they trekked to Hagrid's home. While she felt it was unnecessary, she did find it warmer and thus easier to deal with the cold. It was a little hard to move with four of them under the cloak, however, constantly jostling and bumping into each other.

When they reached the wooden front door, Hemione watched as Harry knocked the door, Fang barking in reaction to the noise.

"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry quietly called through the keyhole.

"Shoulda known!" the gruff voice came through.

Hermione smiled. Just by hearing the half-giant's tone, she knew that he was pleased that Harry was still visiting him.

"Bin home three seconds… Out the way, Fang… _Out the way,_ yeh dozy dog…" she heard him speak as he drew the bolt back and opened the door.

Then Hermione had to bite back a scream when she saw his appearance. Hagrid's hair was matted with congealed blood, and his left eye had been reduced to a puffy slit amid a mass of purple-and-black bruises. All in all, Hagrid looked like he had lost a fight. A very harsh fight, from what it seemed. After all, she knew not much could hurt the half-giant groundskeeper this easily.

"Under that cloak, are yeh? Well, get in, get in!" Hargid gestured when he noticed that no one was outside of his door.

Jostling their way into the hut, Hermione watched as Hagrid blinked in surprise at Harry's new appearance, as well as the new additions to their group.

"Well it seems I've bin away a little too long. When did yeh change this much? Where's Ron? An' who are these two?" Hagrid asked in succession as he gestured for them to take a seat, grabbing a few mugs and filling them with tea. After passing them around, the large man grabbed a slab of meat and slapped it onto the bruised portion of his face, green blood oozing out. Malfoy winced at the squelch, but schooled his face to remove the slightly disgusted expression from his face. Hermione could only agree with his actions.

Harry could only laugh as he replied, "I could ask you the same thing about your injuries Hagrid, but I know you'd probably been out helping the Headmaster out. For my changes, it was while you were away Hagrid, so I'm not surprised you didn't know. As for Ron, we had a little falling out before school started. Though…"

Seeing him glance at both Malfoy and Luna, she watched as Luna stood up, bowed and introduced herself.

"Luna Lovegood. Hello again, Hagrid! It's nice to have you back. Care of Magical Creatures has been boring without you around," Luna smiled cheerfully.

Hagrid smiled back in return, "'ello Luna! I'm glad tha' yeh had enjoyed my lessons. Hopefully I'll be healed enough ter get back ter teachin' soon!"

Then he looked at Malfoy, who then bowed to introduce himself, "Draco Malfoy. I know, my appearance has changed. It was a little unavoidable though."

Wide eyed, Hagrid glanced at Harry in shock, "What the hell Harry? Since when were yeh friends with Malfoy?!"

Then Malfoy interrupted him by doing something surprising, "I apologise for any racial slurs or disrespect I turned your way when I was younger. I was immature, prideful, and could not hold my tongue."

Hagrid stared in shock, "Well I'll be. This is the first time I've seen a Malfoy apologise ter anyone."

Hermione shrugged. Malfoy had changed a little too much. Attitudes, appearances, social decisions. It was rare to see him hanging out with his two 'bodyguards' and Parkinson anymore. She had to admit that despite her friendship with Tracey and Daphne, it was still a little hard to believe that the truce had lasted this long. Speaking about the truce, Hermione noticed Harry explaining to Hagrid about it, and watched as the man's bruised eyes widened in surprise and argue about the strangeness of it all to Harry.

"So what have yeh bin up ter while I was away other than the truce?" Hagrid asked.

Hermione watched as Luna hid a giggle as Harry winced while he explained the Dementors, his trial, and the Ministry interfering with Hogwarts. She could understand her amusement. Hagrid was very protective of those he considered friends after all, and the man had bellowed loudly in shock and anger at the injustices towards Harry.

Of course, their peaceful time wouldn't have lasted long. The sharp rapping on the door, startled everyone, Hermione and Luna dropping their already empty mugs in surprise, Hagrid dropping the piece of meat on his face, Fang yelping in shock at all the noise, while Harry and Malfoy both looked at each other with worry when they spotted the shadow of the stout figure outside.

The boys nodded to each other, Hermione blinked in surprise as Malfoy flicked his hand and a dark, shadowy portal appeared. Luna then quietly thanked Hagrid and dashed right through, Malfoy quickly following behind while gesturing, the portal closing up behind him. Harry then grabbed the remaining cups and wrapped Hermione and himself with the invisibility cloak.

Fang was now leaping up at the door as he barked loudly, so Hagrid pushed him out of the way with his foot and pulled it open.

Professor Umbridge was standing in the doorway.

" _So,_ " she said slowly and loudly, as though speaking to somebody deaf. "You're Hagrid, are you?"

Hermione twitched with annoyance. She hated this woman's obvious discriminatory standings. She watched as Umbridge, without waiting for an answer, strolled into the room, her bulging eyes rolling in every direction, as if looking for something.

"Get away," she snapped, waving her handbag at Fang, who had bounded up to her and was attempting to lick her face.

"Er — I don' want ter be rude," said Hagrid, staring at her, eyes narrowed, "but who the ruddy hell are you?"

"My name is Dolores Umbridge." Her eyes were sweeping the cabin. Twice they stared directly into the corner where Harry stood with Hermione. Either she was looking for them, or she was trying to find something incriminating to put Hagrid out of job.

"Dolores Umbridge?" Hagrid said, sounding thoroughly confused. "I thought you were one o' them Ministry — don' you work with Fudge?"

"I was Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, yes," said Umbridge. "I am now the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher —"

"Tha's brave of yeh," said Hagrid. Hermione heard Harry stifle a snicker as Hagrid continued, "There's not many'd take tha' job anymore —"

"— and Hogwarts High Inquisitor," said Umbridge, giving no sign that she had heard him.

Having heard about this from Harry, Hermione watched as Hagrid fell silent and frowned.

"So what is this?" asked Umbridge, pointing at the broken shards of china on the floor that had been the two empty mugs. She heard Harry quietly sigh. It wasn't audible enough to be heard by Umbridge, but it was obvious he was relieved that he had taken his and Malfoy's mugs, as well as the fact that said mugs were already empty of their contents. It would have been awkward for Hargid to explain if the mugs had still been full.

"Oh," said Hagrid "Oh, tha' was… was Fang! He broke the mugs when you started knockin'. So I had ter use this one instead."

Hagrid pointed to the mug from which he had been drinking, one hand clamped over the steak he had snatched off the floor when Umbridge came in and pressed to his eye. Umbridge stood facing him now, taking in every detail of his appearance instead of the cabin's.

"I heard voices," she said quietly.

"I was talkin' ter Fang," said Hagrid stoutly.

"And was he talking back to you?"

"Of course not. Can't I talk ter my dog? I'd say they're near human enough," Hagrid replied, looking might offended.

"There are sets of footprints in the snow leading from the castle doors to your cabin," said Umbridge sleekly. Harry quietly hissed. That was a lie, and the woman knew it.

Now Hagrid had to frown alongside Hermione, "Tha's… odd. I could've sworn I cleared the path o' snow on my way back from the castle earlier. The snow must 'ave piled up again."

Hermione and Harry winced at the lie. Technically it was true that the path was clear of snow, and it was a good thing they had told Hagrid about it, since he could not lie. At least this way he had one excuse to use. But they had been so lucky that Harry had even thought of clearing the path of snow by melting it.

Then the damn woman just _had_ to change the subject to Hagrid's absence, then implied that she knew _exactly_ where he went. It was as if she knew Hagrid was a terrible liar if he was unprepared. Hermione could feel the anger radiating from Harry at her disrespectful attitude, then at the very obvious implication that Umbridge would be inspecting him and did not expect him to pass her inspection.

Then moments after the woman left the cabin, Hermione sighed when Harry once again let loose several hisses of displeasure in Parseltongue while they came out from under the cloak. She had suggested meeting Hagrid to improve his mood, not worsen it. And honestly, that woman's appearance could make anyone's day worse.

Hagrid was staring at Harry wide eyed while he asked Hermione, "'Mione? Is this normal of 'arry nowadays?"

Hermione nodded before asking, "What sort of things are you planning to do with us in class, Hagrid?"

"Well…" Hagrid said, "I've bin keepin' a couple o' creatures saved fer yer O.W.L. year, you wait, they're somethin' really special. I'd have ter change it up a little though."

"Erm… special in what way? And what changes?" asked Hermione tentatively.

"I'm not sayin'," said Hagrid happily. "I don' want ter spoil the surprise."

"Look, Hagrid," said Hermione urgently, dropping all pretence, "Professor Umbridge won't be at all happy if you bring anything to class that's too dangerous —"

"Dangerous?" said Hagrid, looking genially bemused. "Don' be silly, I wouldn' give yeh anythin' dangerous! I mean, all righ', they can look after themselves —"

"Hagrid, what might not be dangerous to you, a half-giant, may be dangerous to us, who don't have creature blood or the resistances it gives," Harry pointed out, having finally calmed down.

"Look, the two creatures I plan on introducin' the next two lessons are harmless, I'm tellin' yeh," Hagrid said.

"Hagrid… please…" said Hermione, getting desperate in her voice. "Umbridge is looking for any excuse to get rid of teachers she thinks are too close to Dumbledore. Please, Hagrid, teach us something dull that's bound to come up in our OWL…."

But Hagrid merely yawned widely and cast a one-eyed look of longing toward the vast bed in the corner. Hermione sighed, knowing he was going to avoid the topic. She could only hope.

"Lis'en, it's bin a long day an' it's late," he said, patting Hermione gently on the shoulder, so that her knees gave way and hit the floor with a thud. "Oh — sorry —" He pulled her back up by the neck of her robes. "Look, don' you go worryin' abou' me, I promise yeh I've got really good stuff planned fer yer lessons now I'm back… Now you two had better get back up to the castle, wouldn't want yer ter be caught so soon."

With that, he shooed them out of the cabin. Harry sighed as they began walking back under the invisibility cloak, "Well, we tried."

"Not enough," Hermione grumbled.

"'Mione, look, you can keep trying to convince him otherwise until the next lesson itself, but you know how stubborn he can be," Harry said.

"I know, Harry. It's just that, I don't want us to lose Hagrid to that… _that Toad_!" She hissed.

"No point stressing about it now, Hermione," Harry replied.

"Oh? You were hissing curses at Umbridge this whole evening, Harry. You don't get to talk to me about 'stressing about it'," Hermione twitched in annoyance, "In fact, what the hell was that portal Malfoy created? It's like you've known about it for some time now."

Her friend sighed once more and said, "Look Hermione, of course I know about the portal, what do you think we were doing in the Room before we started the group? We were _training_."

Hermione twitched again. Harry had turned his head away from her when he answered her. Her friend was lying. It had been painfully hard to get Harry to open up to her when all this began, and she had thought she had made some progress when he agreed to the creation of their 'defence group'. She had not expected him to outright lie to her about this.

' _Then again…_ ' she thought as they entered the common room, saying goodnight to Harry as she continued to the girls' dorms. ' _It may have something to do with what happened to Harry when we were in Grimmauld's Place. And I did promise I would try and figure out what happened without asking him._ '

"Easier said than done!" Hermione groaned into her pillow when she reached her bed. Then she rolled over as she contemplated about it some more. ' _I know Sirius and Remus are in the know. Despite only meeting for the first time this year, Luna knows about this as well. What's more surprising is Percy and Malfoy's involvements…_ '

' _So far, oddities have been changes in appearance, changes in attitudes, use of wandless magic, able to use swords proficiently, and that black portal_ ,' wrote Hermione as she sat up to take down said changes. ' _Odd alliances as well? I mean, Harry and Malfoy never did get along. Percy never tried to become friends with us. Then there is Harry's mysterious significant other that Malfoy seemed to know and…_ '

"Gah! This is just too confusing! I have no idea where to start!" Hermione muttered as she stared at her list. It made no sense, but all she could do was keep taking note whatever hints Harry subconsciously dropped and try to piece things together bit by bit.

It would be a week later, when she notes a startling change in Tracey, that she begins to put things together, but it would be months before she finally reveals it to Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 17 DONE! WHOOT! I'm on a roll!
> 
> 'Kay, this chapter was Hermione through and through. None of them bother to ask Hagrid about what he was doing, because judging from his face, it was obvious how it turned out. In fact, most of this chapter turned out like canon, except… well, you know what's different by now.
> 
> Anyways, 'Mione finally decides it's time to keep her promise in figuring out what's up with HarRiku. Except… You know, she doesn't know where to look! But with what's happening next chapter, you can guess what her starting point will be.
> 
> Now someone requested a recap as to who has been reincarnated so far, so here's the list:
> 
> Harry – Riku (Prophecy)  
> Sirius – Zack (Prophecy)  
> Remus – Cloud (Prophecy)  
> Percy – Axel (Prophecy)  
> Luna – Naminé (Prophecy)  
> Draco – Roxas (Prophecy)  
> Tracey – Xion (Prophecy, Unawake)  
> ??? – ??? KHBBS (Prophecy, Status Unknown)  
> ??? – ??? KHBBS (Prophecy, Status Unknown)  
> ??? – Sora (Prophecy, Status Unknown)  
> Rolf Scamander – Zexion/Ienzo (Observers, Awake)  
> Colin Creevey – Demyx (Observers, Awake)  
> Severus Snape – Sephiroth??? (Observers, Omake, Speculated, Unawake)  
> Lily Evans – Genesis??? (Omake, Speculated, Deceased)  
> James Potter – Angeal??? (Omake, Speculated, Deceased)
> 
> Prophecy is those whom Naminé listed in her ItB. Status is either Unawake, Awake, Unknown or Deceased. Observers have no role in Naminé's prophecy. Speculated is just the characters guessing. Omake is for those who were mentioned in the first omake I made back in chapter 10.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I think I'll be able to churn out the next three in quick succession if I can stay this inspired. Leave a comment as norm!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	24. Won't Hades Love Them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMING ANY OWNERSHIP OF THE SERIES USED IN THIS FANFIC AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT!

_**Chapter 18: Won't Hades Love Them** _

Riku sighed as once more Hermione complained about Hagrid's decision to not listen to her advice while they made their way to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It had only been a few days since the Slytherin VS Gryffindor match, and the two Houses were to have their first proper Care of Magical Creatures lesson with Hagrid.

It wasn't that he did not like Professor Grubby-Plank. It was just... her lessons were boring, and covered extremely harmless yet mindless creatures. Hagrid's choices, though dangerous, were often intelligent enough. That excluded the Blast-ended Skrewt. Because those creatures were a disaster waiting to happen in the first place. He did, however, understand that most would have preferred the former option, because Hagrid's idea of harmless was usually dangerous for a human.

Nodding a greeting to Roxas and his group, they continued to make their way towards Hagrid, who had half a cow slung over his back. The half-giant had definitely not recovered from his injuries, since the bruises had started turning yellowish-green. Overall, it was an ominous sight that had a few of them cringing.

One thing about today was that Umbridge was nowhere to be seen. But that could easily mean that she was going to inspect a different class, or she would pop up later. The lesson could either end as a disaster or go uninterrupted. It all depended on that woman's timing.

"We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid called happily to the approaching students, jerking his head back at the Forbidden Forest, "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark..."

"What prefers the dark?" Riku heard Parkinson mutter loudly, a trace of panic in her voice. "What did he say prefers the dark — did you hear? And why are we going into the Forest of all places?!"

Roxas shook his head and said, "Look Parkinson, if you want to stay outside, on your own, with no one else, and be marked absent, by all means _stay_."

The female Slytherin, did the opposite and put on a brave face. Tracey could be seen snickering at the obvious fear her housemate had shown, however.

"Ready?" said Hagrid happily, looking around at the class. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em —"

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" Roxas asked calmly. "We know you love dangerous creatures, but would it kill you to make sure that they are trained?"

The Slytherins murmured agreement and a few Gryffindors looked as though they thought Roxas had a fair point too.

"'Course they're trained," Hagrid scowled, hoisting the dead cow a little higher on his shoulder, gesturing at them to follow.

Roxas shrugged and muttered, "It was a valid question."

Riku just sighed and asked, "Why did you even ask in the first place?"

Roxas looked away, and Riku heard something about 'bloody Hippogriffs'. Riku could only shake his head and mutter, "That was your fault in the first place."

"Well, sorry for being a prideful thirteen-year old without any proper hold on emotions I was not used to having!" Roxas hissed back.

The two then dissolved into quiet arguments, their classmates looking on in amusement. Hermione, who had been following the two, kept listening closely for more hints in their conversations. Tracey, on the other hand, held back a quiet giggle. This went on for about ten minutes, and by that time, they reached a dark, tree enclosed clearing.

Hagrid had deposited his half a cow on the ground. The class, nerves having been calmed by Riku and Roxas arguing their entire way there, looked around slightly apprehensive.

"Gather roun', gather roun'," said Hagrid encouragingly. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me…"

He then gave an odd, shrieking cry that echoed through the forest. Nobody laughed. Most of them looked too scared to make a sound. There were a few exceptions, however. Riku and Roxas, who were already used to terribly frightening roars of the more grotesque Heartless and Nobodies, did not even flinch. Hermione was a little more than too used to strange creatures, and barely reacted to the cry. Tracey had simply given an excited smile, which left Daphne and Parkinson both looking at her as if she was insane. Riku, Roxas and Hermione did take note that her eyes had looked blue for a second, however.

Hagrid gave the shrieking cry again. A minute passed in which the class continued to peer nervously over their shoulders and around trees for a first glimpse of whatever it was that was coming.

Then, Riku spotted it. A pair of blank, white, shining eyes, a dragonish face and neck, and a skeletal, horse-like body, all supported by a pair of great black wings as it emerged from the darkness.

It gave a piercing glance at the class for a moment, swishing its long black tail, before bowing its head to tear at flesh of the dead cow.

Thestrals. Riku breathed in. This was what Hagrid had planned? Turning to Roxas, Riku saw him nod. Hermione, though she could not see it, had noticed the change in the dead cow, the carcass getting smaller, and she knew that something was there

Most of the class, however, were wearing confused and nervously expressions, still gazing everywhere except what was standing right in front of from them. There were only three other people who seemed to be able to see it: Theodore Nott, who watched with an expression of distaste on his face, Neville, whose eyes were following the swishing progress of the long black tail, and surprisingly enough, Tracey, who was looking at it in wide eyed wonder.

"Oh, an' here comes another one!" said Hagrid proudly, as a second Thestral appeared to feed on the cow carcass. "Now… put yer hands up, who can see 'em?"

"Yeah… yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry," Hagrid said seriously as he counted the five hands. "An' you too, Neville, eh? An' —"

"Excuse me," asked Parkinson in a bored voice, "but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"

Shrugging, Hagrid simply gestured to the carcass that laid on the ground. The whole class stared at it for a few seconds, then several people gasped and and some of the girls squealed in fear. Riku understood why. Flesh stripping themselves away from the bones and vanishing into thin air was simply disturbing.

"What's doing it?" Parvati demanded in a terrified voice, retreating behind the nearest tree. "What's eating it?"

"Thestrals, I think," Hermione said quietly as she watched on, catching everyone's attention. "I can't see them, but Luna told me about them at the beginning of the school year."

"That's right, Hermione," Hagrid beamed, "Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here. Now, who knows — ?"

"But they're really, really unlucky!" interrupted Parvati, looking alarmed. "They're supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who see them. Professor Trelawney told me once —"

"No, no, no," Hagrid chuckled, "tha's jus' superstition, that is, they aren' unlucky, they're dead clever an' useful! 'Course, this lot don' get a lot o' work, it's mainly jus' pullin' the school carriages unless Dumbledore's takin' a long journey an' don' want ter Apparate."

Riku had to agree. Seeing an animal did not bring misfortune. Like seeing a grim (Zack sneezed) did not simply bring death to their doorstep.

Two more quietly trotted out of the nearby trees, one of them brushing past Parvati, who shivered and pressed herself closer to the tree as she whimpered, "I think I felt something, I think it's near me!"

"Don' worry, it won' hurt yeh," said Hagrid patiently. "Righ', now, who can tell me why some o' you can see them an' some can't?"

Hermione raised her hand.

"Go on then," said Hagrid, beaming at her.

"The only people who can see thestrals," she said, "are people who have seen death."

Well… that definitely explained a few things. Except that it didn't when it came to Tracey Davis. Daphne was staring at Tracey incredulously, and Hermione had taken note of it and realised that Tracey _had never seen someone die before_. It was an impossibility.

Roxas, who had apparently not noticed this, commented with a quiet murmur, "Invisible, skeletal, carnivorous horses that were omens of death once seen? Won't Hades love these..."

"I wouldn't put it past him. But it may be more of Maleficent's thing, considering how dragonic they look," Riku unconsciously muttered in reply.

Then the giggling started. Absolutely, hysterical, giggling pierced the silence, and everyone turned to stare at Tracey with wide eyed confusion. Riku and Roxas looked at her in surprise, realising that she had overheard both their comments and _understood them enough to laugh about it_. Hermione and Daphne were in shock at her sudden outburst of laughter, Hermione catching sight of the now obvious sky blue eyes.

"Nevermind me! Hehe… Continue the lesson!" Tracey managed to breathlessly voice out between giggles. The rest of the Slytherins simply eyed her worriedly.

Hagrid shrugged and tried to continue on when the fake cough of an unwelcome visitor echoed.

Professor Umbridge had arrived, horrifying pink cardigan and all. She was standing a few feet away from Riku, who was steadily edging himself far away from the woman. Hagrid, who had never heard the fake cough before, gave a concerned glance at the closest thestral, under the impression that it had made the sound.

" _Hem, hem._ "

"Oh hello!" Hagrid said, smiling, having located the source of the noise.

"You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning?" said Umbridge, in the same loud, slow voice she had used with him earlier, as though she was addressing somebody both foreign and very slow. "Telling you that I would be inspecting your lesson?"

"Oh yeah," said Hagrid brightly. "Glad yeh found the place all righ'! Well, as you can see — or, I dunno — can you? We're doin' thestrals today —"

"I'm sorry?" said Umbridge loudly, cupping her hand around her ear and frowning. "What did you say?"

"Er — _thestrals_!" he said loudly. "Big — er — winged horses, yeh know!"

He flapped his gigantic arms hopefully. Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows at him and muttered as she made a note on her clipboard,

"' _has… to... resort... to... crude... sign... language.._.'"

"Well . . . anyway . . ." said Hagrid, turning back to the class and looking slightly flustered. "Erm . . . what was I sayin'?"

"' _Appears... to... have... poor... short... term... memory..._ '" muttered Umbridge, loudly enough for everyone to hear her.

Riku's eyes narrowed. Roxas was glaring hard. Hermione was barely suppressing her rage and wondering if she should ask Riku or Roxas to just set the damnable clipboard on fire. Tracey had snapped out of her laughing fit and her eyes were blazing with outrage. In fact, a majority of the clearing was outraged at the words she spoke so blatantly.

"Oh yeah," Hagrid ploughed on, only giving Umbridge's clipboard a wary glance "Yeah, I was gonna tell yeh how come we got a herd. Yeah, so, we started off with a male an' five females. This one," he patted the first horse to have appeared, "name o' Tenebrus, he's my special favorite, firs' one born here in the forest —"

"Are you aware," Umbridge said loudly, interrupting him, "that the Ministry of Magic has classified thestrals as 'dangerous'?"

Riku twitched. While it was true that they were classified as Dangerous, Riku knew perfectly well that a herd that had been domesticated as long as the ones in Hogwarts were mostly safe to handle. Not that Umbridge knew that.

"Thestrals aren' dangerous! All righ, they might take a bite outta you if yeh really annoy them —"

"' _Shows… signs… of… pleasure… at… idea… of… violence…_ '" muttered Umbridge, scribbling on her clipboard again.

"No — come on!" Hagrid said anxiously "I mean, a dog'll bite if yeh bait it, won' it — but thestrals have jus' got a bad reputation because o' the death thing — people used ter think they were bad omens, didn' they? Jus' didn' understand, did they?"

Umbridge did not answer as she finished writing her last note, then looked up at Hagrid and said, again very loudly and slowly, "Please continue teaching as usual. I am going to walk" — she mimed walking — Parkinson and her group were having silent fits of laughter — "among the students" — she pointed around at individual members of the class (Most of whom were giving disgusted glares at the woman, not that she noticed) — "and ask them questions." She pointed at her mouth to indicate talking.

Hagrid stared at her, clearly at a complete loss to understand why she was acting as though he did not understand normal English. Hermione had tears of fury in her eyes now.

"You hag, you evil hag!" Hermione quietly snarled, as Umbridge walked toward Pansy Parkinson. "I know what you're doing, you awful, twisted, vicious, why I ought to —"

"Erm… anyway," said Hagrid, clearly struggling to regain the flow of his lesson, "so — thestrals. Yeah. Well, there's loads o' good stuff abou' them…"

"Do you find," said Professor Umbridge in a ringing voice to Pansy Parkinson, "that you are able to understand Professor Hagrid when he talks?"

Just like Hermione, Pansy had tears in her eyes, but these were tears of mocking laughter. Her answer was almost incoherent because she was trying to suppress her giggles. "No… because… well… it sounds… like grunting –"

"Parkinson, shut up _this instant_ unless you want me to set you _ablaze, right here, right now,_ " Roxas hissed out loud, deciding to take a leaf out of Axel's book for once and threaten to set her on fire. Immediately, the girl silenced her laughter and backed away from Roxas in fear, already having been on the wrong end of the blond's temper before.

Umbridge then simpered, "Mr Malfoy, may I know why are you interfering with my inspection like this? I was only asking for a comment."

"And I'll question you for interfering with in-House politics," Roxas sneered back. "Not that you would know anything about it."

Startled by the obvious disrespect from the Malfoy Heir, Umbridge decided to choose a different target to question this time.

Meanwhile, Hagrid had acted as though he had not heard the comments made and had begun listing the benefits of taming Thestral, explaining their exceptional sense of direction.

However, Umbridge had found her other target. Turning to Neville, she asked "You can see the thestrals, Longbottom, can you?"

Neville nodded, nervously glancing around for help. Riku, noticing this, quickly strode up to interfere.

"Whom did you see die?" she asked, her tone indifferent.

"And that is enough, Professor Umbridge," Riku snarled. "You have no right to ask such a personal question."

"Then is it fine for me to ask you that question then, Mr Potter?" the woman gave a pleased smile as she asked.

Riku instead glared even harder, "So you would rather I describe the death of my mother in great detail? You'd rather I tell you how I heard her beg for my life to be spared and was killed right in front of my eyes because of a simple spell cast by one mad man then? Or would you rather I tell you specifically how Cedric Diggory was killed right before my eyes before we could even react?"

Umbridge had paled and sputtered at his insolence, and the students in the clearing were now looking horrified at the fact that he remembered his mother's death of all things. But Riku didn't care as he continued on, absolutely furious at her blatant disrespect for those who had died, "You say that I lie? You say my memories are muddled? Let me tell you that _these memories_ are the ones that are dragged up when _Dementors_ come near me. I was a _bloody witness to these deaths_. I have _accepted them_ despite the despair they bring me. _What gives you the right to disregard them?!_ "

If only to emphasise his point, the clipboard was suddenly set ablaze and turned into ashes in less than a minute. By the side, Hermione had watched the clipboard burn with vindictive glee, even if she had not been the one who cast the spell.

At a complete loss as to what to do now that her clipboard was gone, Umbridge turned away from Riku in a shuttering huff, still clearly disturbed at how accepting Riku was of death. She then said to Hagrid, "It seems like I'll have to postpone my inspection for now. Please expect me at next week's lesson as well."

With that, the woman paced off. Moments later, everyone released the breath that they did not realise they were holding. The Slytherins were now staring at Riku with some fear in their eyes. Most of the Gryffindors as well, despite how long they had been together. The only ones who had not reacted to Riku's horrifying rant had been Hermione, who was still grinning vindictively at the pile of ash, Roxas, who was glaring at the Slytherins, daring them to say something, Tracey _again_ , though she had suddenly gone into a daze, her now blue eyes staring blankly, and surprisingly enough, Ron, who muttered, "It's about time he blew up like this."

Of course, the surprise of that statement was enough to get Hagrid to begin his lesson again, now a little more confident with Umbridge gone.

* * *

 

Hermione sighed in relief as the lesson ended and the class trekked back to the castle. Umbridge's verbal attack on Hagrid's person had been extremely vexing, and it had been a good thing both Malfoy and Harry had interfered before things went a little too far. Not that it didn't.

Harry's outburst had surprised them all. The last time Hermione saw it happen was when he had blown up at both her and Ron, and that was just a few months ago. Before that it had been Harry and Ron's argument during their fourth year. It surprised her, that Ron had been expecting an outburst like this.

Her thoughts were suddenly cut off when she saw Tracey, who was walking a few paces in front of her, sway a little before falling to the ground with a thud.

"Tracey!" Hermione yelled as she ran forward to check on her fallen friend. Daphne, Zabini and Nott echoed her shocked yell, while Harry and Malfoy had immediately dashed forward to help.

"She's fine Hermione, she's just unconscious," Harry muttered as he quickly checked her pulse.

"Let me carry her to the Hospital Wing," Malfoy said, blue eyes darkened with worry. Hermione nodded, eyes teary as the blond lifted her friend into his arms protectively.

As the Gryffindor-Slytherin group began to make a frantic dash towards the castle, Hermione noticed something slide out of Tracey's pocket. Hermione was quick to snatch it off the ground, and realised it was a sea-shell charm. Still running next to her, Hermione noticed Harry's eyes widen greatly at the charm, giving the charm and Tracey several shocked, understanding, glances.

Hermione shook of the urge to question Harry about it. Now was not the time. Her friend had just fainted for no reason at all, and she needed to stay focused on her for now. Discovering Harry's secrets would come later.

And with that, the group of six ran to the castle, worry for the health and safety of their friend on their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4 hours, 3301 words. Not bad. Like I said, inspired = new chapters in quick succession. Of course, you can see that most of Hagrid's parts were taken straight from the book. I try not to, but this chapter really required me to have parts of it in there. I needed Tracey's hysterical breaking point in there, I needed Roxas and Riku to interfere with Dumbridge, I needed Roxas to assert his authority as the leader of Slytherin's 5th years. I needed Riku's Harry-like outburst about death. And all that required the entire COMC incident, altering a few bits here and there.
> 
> And yes people. Next chapter is Roxas and Riku's reactions to who Tracey actually is. We all know who it is by now, but next chapter a completely original chapter that isn't based on book incidents. Look forward to that please!
> 
> Now, as usual, leave a comment, and I hope you've enjoyed!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	25. Aster tartaricus - I won't forget you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to disclaim here, just disclaiming ownership of the characters and series used.

_**Chapter 19: Aster tartaricus - I won't forget you** _

'Why the hell did she faint?!' Roxas thought in panic as he ran forward to Tracey's side, Hermione being the first to reach her, and Riku quickly checking his friend's pulse in panic.

The relieved sigh from his silver haired friend brought some relief, but they still had to get Tracey to the Hospital Wing. Gently lifting her into his arms, Roxas winced as a painful memory flashed in front of him. The last time he had carried someone this way, they had died in his arms.

Determined not to let that happen, Roxas dashed forward, the others following along behind him.

A few minutes later, Riku ran up beside him face pale with shock for some reason.

"What's wrong?" Roxas asked. Considering the other had been so calm when he checked on Tracey earlier, it was worrying.

"..."

"Oi, Riku."

"...Hermione just picked up a charm that fell out of Tracey's pocket," Riku finally said.

Roxas scowled, "Look Riku, if it isn't something important about what happened to Tracey-"

"Roxas, it was a Thalassa sea shell Wayfinder," Riku interrupted.

"... What?" Roxas whispered, shock strangling his voice. "But wouldn't that mean..."

"Ah. Tracey Davis is a reincarnation of someone from our past," Riku gave a shaky nod. "Look, we should get her to the Hospital Wing first, then discuss this. I don't really want someone to overhear."

Taking in a shuttering breath, Roxas nodded as he hugged the girl in his arms around tighter.

* * *

It took them a surprisingly short amount of time to reach the Hospital Wing once they entered the castle. As if sensing their urgency, the Moving Staircase had created a flight of stairs directly to the fourth floor, trick steps vanishing and thus allowing them to reach the Hospital Wing quickly.

Madam Pomfrey, seeing the fainted Tracey in Roxas' arms, was quick to usher them to lay her on one of the beds before casting a few diagnostic charms. When nothing turned up, she shooed most of them out of the Hospital Wing. She did, however, allow for Roxas and Riku to stay, both volunteering to keep an eye on the Slytherin girl for their friends. Hermione and Daphne, who had been carrying Tracey's things, placed the items by her bedside.

"So... this was what Hermione picked up huh," Roxas said as he looked at the Wayfinder in his hands.

Riku sighed, "Yeah. I thought I was going crazy when I saw it."

Roxas blinked and asked, "Did you have any idea that this was happening in the first place?"

"Not before today. I thought you would have noticed it? Isn't she your Housemate?" Riku retorted.

The blond simply shook his head, "I wouldn't have. Tracey was scary good at keeping secrets if she needed to. I did notice she had become a bit more open with others recently, however."

"… You know, I wonder who she saw die," Riku pondered quietly, looking at the sleeping girl.

"No one in this life, that's for sure," Roxas sighed.

"Who… Do you think she is, Roxas?" Riku asked after a moment of silence. "I get the feeling I should know, but my memories seem to blur every time I try and recall."

"You too?" Roxas muttered. He did remember her showing up in the dreams he got prior to his Awakening. But even after that, her face always remained blurred, the only things standing out being her eyes and hair.

The two of them continued to watch over Tracey, wondering why their memories of her previous self were always blurred. And as day turned to night, the two fell asleep where they sat.

* * *

"…xas," a familiar, faded voice called as Roxas felt a hand gently shake him.

"Wake up, Roxas," the voice called a second time, much clearer this time, and Roxas' blue eyes flew open.

Looking up and catching sight of familiar blue eyes, Roxas flinched when the blur that had been his memories of who Tracey had been cleared up and he finally gained a name to match with the face. Groaning and blinking blearily, Roxas asked, "…Tracey? No, it's Xion isn't it?"

Xion gave him a happy smile, eyes brimming with emotion.

Sitting up and trying to hold himself back from hugging his friend and crying, Roxas asked, "How long have you been dealing with your memories?"

"Quite a while. It was just the really tiny memories at first, however," Xion shrugged. "I guess I fainted today because it was getting too much for me to handle. I was having a lot of trouble compartmentalising them recently."

"At least your body is stable in this world," Riku commented as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, the suddenness of the comment causing Xion to yelp in surprise.

"Riku! Um… I…" Xion stuttered.

"It's your own body after all. I doubt Kingdom Hearts would have given you a Heart without a new body to be reincarnated into, wouldn't it," Riku continued. He really should have guessed it was Xion. Outside of Kairi, Xion had been the only female he had known in his past life to have a love of the Thalassa sea-shells unique to Destiny Islands. The only thing that had hindered him from recognising her was the strange blurs that had blocked her part in his memories, leftovers of her partial erasure from existence.

"So… What do we do now?" Xion asked. She still looked tired, as if the memories had been constantly plaguing her mind.

Roxas sighed, "Maybe… maybe you should undergo the Ritual of Awakening, Xion. I know you've managed to live your life even with them constantly interrupting your thoughts, but with how you fainted earlier, I think the Ritual might help."

"He's right, you know," Riku nodded, "But the other reason would be to allow you to regain control of any of your old abilities."

"How are we to go about it? We can't just leave Hogwarts without permission, can we?" Xion asked.

"Roxas? What do you think?" Riku questioned.

"I _could_ ask Professor Snape. He knows that Heirs occasionally have family matters to attend to, and he allowed us to leave the school in previous years when such things occurred," Roxas suggested.

Riku nodded, "Let's go with that first then."

With that Riku stood up to leave the Hospital Wing, now knowing who Tracey had been, and now knowing that she was just fine. All he had to do, was tell Hermione that her friend was awake and safe.

Roxas, taking advantage of the fact that he was the only one left in the Wing with Xion, turned to hug her. She gave a startled yelp, but then relaxed into it while asking, "Roxas?"

"You died," he muttered.

"Eh?"

"You died. You left us alone. You made us forget. You're alive. _You're alive_ …" Roxas continued mumbling as tears began to flow. Xion gently smiled as she closed her eyes and hugged back and said, "I'm alive Roxas, and I will not be forgotten again…"

* * *

Severus Snape had been having unusual Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

First, he found out _late_ that one of his Snakes had fainted on their way back from Care of Magical Creatures. Second, was the fact that another had skipped the class after that to take care of said Snake. Third was when he found out this Snake had been his own godson.

But by far the most unusual incident of the morning, was when Draco had come into his office to request for leave from school for himself _and Tracey Davis_ to settle some _family matters_. It was strange enough, since Severus was sure that Draco had no interest in Tracey. What was stranger was how Draco had implied that they needed a day off urgently.

Severus might have allowed Draco to leave the school on his own, but Tracey required a letter from her parents requesting that she'd be given the day off. Of course, this had left Draco scowling and running off somewhere. Severus had seen Draco speaking to Potter during breakfast after that, and the resulting scowls that erupted on both their faces had left everyone in their vicinity backing away warily.

The next morning, Draco had returned to his office, this time with a set of letters in hand. One from his mother, the other from the Davis family. Severus could not say no to Draco this time, and after informing the Headmaster, gave the two the permission to leave the school.

Narcissa had appeared entered the Great Hall just moments after Severus gave Draco the permission. It was what had happened when she attempted to leave with both Tracey and Draco that things got… confusing for Severus.

Umbridge had somehow caught wind of this, and had attempted to revoke the rights for them to leave the school, while questioning the reason for their need to leave. One scathing glare from his godson had her flinch, surprisingly enough, and the words that came out of Draco's mouth was just as surprising.

"I've told you before that you had no right to interfere with in-House politics. I tell you this time that you have no right to interfere with family matters that occur outside of Hogwarts," the blond teen that was his godson had said with a glare. Severus was more than a little surprised at how assertive his godson had become, but judging from the unsurprised look on Narcissa's face, he knew that she had been aware of the change.

Severus saw the three out of the gates, not once inquiring why they needed to leave in the first place. The affairs of a Pureblood family stayed within the family. Even if he was Draco's godfather, there were just some things that stayed within blood family, and he knew that this was one of them. He would question Draco's changes much later when the Wizarding World finally spiralled into chaos, but at the moment, he was willing to remain ignorant.

* * *

Later that afternoon, while clearing some paperwork for the Minister, Axel blinked when his vision blurred and his head began to pound. Groaning, Axel closed his eyes and massaged his head in an attempt to relieve the pain. Then his eyes shot opened in surprise when previously blurred face and static covered name finally revealed itself in its memories. Tears began to gather as he laughed in happiness and muttered the name.

"Xion…"

He would later be visited by a very pleased Roxas dragging behind him the very person the name belonged to, and the trio reunited, laughing, smiling and crying tears of joy.

* * *

Somewhere in France, in the classrooms of Beauxbaton, a pair of sky-blue eyes blinked open, awakened by the memories of a black-haired, similarly blue-eyed girl, rushing back into his mind. Completely ignoring the professor in front asking for him to pay attention, he leaned back on his chair, hands supporting his head as he smiled, murmuring "So we're all Awake then? I guess… it won't be long before we start to gather, then."

* * *

Unbeknownst to everyone, all around the world, at almost the exact same time as when Xion finished the Ritual of Awakening, certain magical creatures that had stayed asleep for several centuries within the confines of the many magical nature reserves, had begun to wake up. The magic that had kept them asleep had finally broken.

In the deserts, cacti began moving on its own. In the oceans and lakes, turtles that bore metallic like shells began surfacing, the water dwelling magical creatures fleeing, knowing that they were in the presence of a predator. In the forests, the cries of land dwelling and avian creatures echoed. In the caves, the magical beings that dwelled within it ran at the sight of a cloaked wearing, knife wielding reptile. In the fields, a loud 'Kweh!' rang out, several more responding back, and if someone actually looked they would have noticed large golden birds running amok.

However, there was another piece of magic in place, one that had slowly been coming apart for the past few years. It was the magic that kept these creatures hidden from the sight of the world. Only one of these creatures had awakened early, and the magic that had cloaked it dissipated. It had been travelling towards a large ancient castle, having made friends with the large man that worked there.

Having felt the awakening of the ancient creatures of the past, the red fluff on its head bobbed as it shook its head and muttered to itself, "The World's awakening now of all times, kupo?! I had better start stocking up on materials then. Who knows when the Heartless will start showing up, kupo!"

And with that, the little creature floated off, listing the items it needed to start its new store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND done! Plot has finally started moving forward somewhat, and two parts of the second portion of the prophecy we got in Chapter 14: Training Time has now been fulfilled. Xion is awake, reunites with Riku and Roxas, reunites with Axel, and triggers a whole mess of things! Oops I guess? Also, does anyone want to guess who is Beauxbaton at the moment? (It's so obvious! XD)
> 
> Anyways, next is an ItB, Xion's chapter (which I was done with before last chapter, to be honest), and after that will be book based events again for some time. Well… except maybe one chapter. But before that I have a test coming up so… no updates for a short while! Sorry!
> 
> But I really have no idea what the hell happened this month. I was suddenly extremely inspired to write, and I've actually made quite a bit of progress, as we are finally halfway through Book Five (umm, yay?)! That's one quarter of this fic done… Yeah its actually really little. I had over 50 chapters planned when I first started this, and its steadily getting much more despite it only dealing with two books in the series. Oh well.
> 
> Anyways, leave a comment as per norm, and remember to check out the In the Background for Xion soon!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	26. In the Background 5: Tide that Reveals the True Self

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own. Jeez don't make me repeat myself. And please check the previous chapter if you have not read it yet!

_**In the Background 5: Tide that Reveals the True Self** _

Tracey had been a cold girl. Dull. Emotionless. Apathetic.

Then she met Daphne. Cold, sly, sneaky yet oh so friendly towards her. Tracey had felt a chip appear in her stone cold heart.

She met Draco. He was stuck up, bratty, but strangely overprotective of her. Like a brother she never had. It helped that both of them found an interest in swords. She felt a crack widen, as she began expressing more emotions than she had thought possible.

She bumped into Percy Weasley in Diagon Alley and a burning warmth seared through her, comforting and soothing. Weasley had not noticed however, but Tracey took note of this change in her soul, the warmth bringing a smile on her face as a large portion of the stone that encased her heart broke away.

She spotted Harry Potter, and froze when she felt an unspeakable wave of resentment, a silver haired figure imposing over his form. She shed tears, not understanding if it was for herself, or for the blond boy in her strange dreams that Draco reminded her of. That had been the first time she cried.

Life went on, and she met Luna Lovegood, who had given her a friendly hug that left her shocked. The hug felt apologetic, yet welcoming. Tracey found herself crying tears of happiness instead, surprised that she was capable of expressing happiness in such a way.

It was Fifth Year. Potter had changed, now resembling the silver haired teen that had appeared in her vision. The resentment she had once felt faded a little. Rather, Tracey looked on in confusion when she heard that Potter had declared a truce with Draco. It displayed rather subtly his change in personality, closely matching the personality he had in her visions. A snake that was hidden in the lion's den, waiting and planning patiently for the right opportunity to strike out at his enemies should they let their guard down around him.

Draco had changed as well, becoming an exact copy of the blond boy in her dreams. He was no longer as proud, as arrogant. Instead, he had become a raging tempest, cold anger and fury at those who would wrong him. He had become more trusting of the friends he had made, the ones who had seen past his original arrogance and noticed his insecurities. He had become more like the Slytherin that he should have been in the beginning, sneakily making plans behind the backs of their enemies, if only to ensure the survival of the ones he cared for.

She could feel the remaining chips that encased her heart fade away the more she watched them match the people that they were in her dreams. It was to the point that she began to act on her emotions, just as memories, and not dreams, of things that never happened starting to fill her mind.

The first time had been during the Ministry spy's class. She had snapped, that this dumb broad was denying everything that Zexion (Zexion? Who was that?) had taught her about practical battle tactics. Walking onto the field unprepared was just like asking for the Heartless (wait… what were Heartless?!) to kill you.

She had not been the only one who snapped. Granger had been just as upset, and if her grip on her hand was anything, she had been holding herself back from blowing up the classroom.

The second time was close to the first. She decided to become friends with Granger. The Slytherins had stared. Cold, empty, heartless, Davis, wanting to be friends with a bloody Gryffindor. Well... At least now she knew how the Slytherins viewed her. Cold, empty, heartless? They couldn't be more wrong. The only ones who smiled in approval was Roxas (Draco. He's Draco, not Roxas. Who is Roxas anyways?) and Daphne (She was like a less mean Larxene with a penchant for ice instead! ... Wait, who is Larxene again?). Her two closest friends, encouraged her friendship with Hermione, who was smart, vindictive, rule abiding (though the pink broad broke her off that.), and sometimes insane thanks to the plans she laid out.

Case in point was the time she decided to make the 'defence club'. Tracey had smiled when both Draco and Hermione invited her to the meeting. But the plan was crazy. It was only thanks to Potter that they managed to iron out most of the details.

Then she found herself even more involved with the mix-matched group. Mainly because of how she had been the one to tell Hermione about their possible liability. It was a surprise when Draco dragged her off early that Wednesday to check the so called Room of Requirement.

What she saw in the Room dragged up more memories than she ever wanted. Memories of a teen who looked exactly like Draco did now, training together with a blue haired woman and a brown haired young man who looked like a younger Xemnas, though the man wore more earthen colours. Memories of them training or playing with each other in a copy of the courtyard projected by the Room.

Tracey had shaken her head clear of them. Those were not her memories! They didn't belong to her!

When she opened her eyes, Tracey had blinked. For some reason, she had felt inexplicably drawn towards the shelf of items. The source, was a sea shell. A sea shell that she remembered showing off to Draco's memory self, telling him that she would collect more of them. Then another memory of Draco's memory self, having fallen asleep. She had left a small collection of sea shells by his bedside, both she and the flame haired young man in her memories watching over him.

Tracey had kept the shell from the shelf. And when she had returned to it to see if there was anything else, another shell appeared.

The next three weeks, whenever she came to their 'defence group' session, she always found one shell sitting on the same shelf. A few days before the Quidditch match, she had holed herself in her bed, threading a brown string through the set of Thalassa shells, making a single Wayfinder, similar to the one Kairi had once made. And before the match, she made a single prayer for the safety of both Potter and Draco to the charm.

Her eyes had turned permanently blue by that time. No one noticed, since they never really paid attention to her eyes. Xion's memories from the multiple Hearts that sought safety in Sora's own soul, was scattered within Tracey's mind. It was affecting her actions, her mental state, as the remaining chips of stone that encased her heart finally faded away, leaving her bursting with emotions.

She was snapping at the ones who upset her more often. She was smiling at gentle Naminé (Luna!), who was too kind and she did not need to keep giving her that sad smile. She laughed more often, Roxas'(Draco! Come on... Keep it together) surprised looks making her laugh even more. She was a little more tolerant of Riku(Harry. It. was. Harry. Girl, you did this before, don't fall apart now. Separate memories from reality! Don't let it overwhelm you!).

But it was during their Care of Magical Creatures lesson on Thestrals, listening to Roxas and Riku's comments about the creatures, that she reached a breaking point.

"Invisible, skeletal, carnivorous horses that were omens of death once seen? Won't Hades love these..." Roxas murmured.

"I wouldn't put it past him. But it may be more of Maleficent's thing, considering how dragonic they look," Riku had muttered in reply.

That was it. She didn't care anymore. Xion let herself giggle away hysterically at the comment the two enemies turned friends made, knowing exactly what they had been talking about. The Greek Lord of the Dead would definitely like the creatures, misunderstood due to the requirement to see them, as well as their appearance.

She knew Riku and Roxas were looking at her with surprised as well as inquisitive eyes, and Hermione and Daphne were getting worried at her change in mood. Xion didn't really care to hold back the memories of her past self anymore. She wanted to be herself, to be her own person. She had her own Heart now! She was no longer a simple puppet, a simple Replica. The fragments of memories that she had attained from Sora, Kairi, Ventus, she claimed them as her own. Her own memories of her time in the Organisation, she reclaimed them. There was no longer any fear losing her body's form to the memories. She was alive and whole, and it was amazing.

Then, she had blacked out. Xion didn't know if it was because the memories suddenly became too much for her, but she had felt her body fall to the ground, and heard her friends yelling for help. She felt a familiar pair of arms lift her off the ground, warm and protective, reminiscent of the last time the same arms carried her disintegrating body as she faded from the memories of her best friends.

When she woke up, Xion found herself looking at the ceiling of the Hospital Wing. Resting his head by her side, a spiky headed blond slept on. Seated on her other side, a silver haired teen sat with his eyes closed. Gently touching her best friend's arm, she gently shook him awake and said,

"Wake up, Roxas."

* * *

Perhaps the most freeing thing about the Ritual of Awakening, was the fact that she did not have to deal with her memories forcing itself to the forefront of her mind whenever something reminded her of it. Sure, she had finally gained the ability to use a Keyblade of her own, and had regained her magic. However, her past in the Organisation had been dictated by her status as a vessel for Sora's memories and she had not been able to hold them back from taking over her very being. With the memories now properly put away that they would not affect her new lease of life, Xion felt as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

Xion smiled when she left the ritual room in Gringotts, running forward to hug her brother in Heart. Narcissa watched on with a curious smile, and Roxas was smiling back just as happily. Then he broke out in a grin as he asked a single question that made her Heart soar to greater heights,

"Do you want to see Axel?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Number 5 in the ItB series, we finally have Xion's true introduction! I got started writing this during Chapter 15 if I had to be honest. But as it was only at Chapters 18 and 19 that Tracey finally reached her limit, as shown this chapter, I couldn't post it just yet.
> 
> As I stated in the previous chapter, We'll be going back to Book specific incidents again after this, except a certain COMC lesson. Venquine-sempai knows what I'm talking about since I mentioned it a looong time ago. But that chapter won't be for a while.
> 
> Anyways, leave a comment! And I hope you enjoyed reading!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	27. Kupo?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda promised an update last month, but circumstances prevented me from doing so.
> 
> On the other hand, there was a poll I had up on my FFn site regarding something about this chapter. There's a special chapter for it, so if you want that tiny omake that won't be up here, you can check it out later!
> 
> Now as normal, I don't own any of the characters or the series it came from. So enjoy this chapter!

_**Chapter 20: Kupo?** _

It had been a whole week since Tracey fainted, but was revealed to have no underlying problems. Madam Pomfrey had given her one more check-up when she returned from her minor excursion out of Hogwarts, and had declared her healthy. Hermione and Daphne had hugged the girl when she returned to their regularly scheduled study sessions, having worried for their friend.

It had been a whole week since Tracey fainted, but it had also been an entire week since Umbridge had tried to evaluate Hagrid's lesson. It was their fourth Care of Magical Creatures lesson with Hagrid, and Hermione was worried, as Umbridge had returned. Harry and Draco stood side by side, staring warily at the woman. Tracey was kept at the back of the group of students by Daphne, who was trying to hold of her friend's angry hissing.

"Hagrid's… late," Dean said. The students nodded in agreement. It was odd that the half-giant would be late for any lesson of his, usually being too eager to show off whatever creature he had planned.

"You think he's getting the Thestrals?" Seamus asked out loud.

Harry shook his head, "I doubt it."

"Why Harry?" Hermione asked, curious.

"If he was gathering them, there would have been the smell of a dead animal, the sound of flapping wings, and probably Hagrid calling them out loud. We've heard nothing at all," he explained, eyes narrowing. "In fact… the Forest is silent…"

Everyone froze. It was not normal for the Forest of Death to be this quiet. Usually there would be some noise from the Centaur herd, or the skittering of the smaller creatures, but a lack of noise never happened. Then, the silence was broken as a squeaky voice echoed from the Forest, before screeches of pain followed a burst of fire that illuminated the darkness.

"FIRA KUPO! STAY AWAY YOU STUPID SPIDERS!"

"Kagero please stop attacking 'em!"

"They attacked me first Hagrid, you can't expect me to not retaliate, kupo!"

"When you said you were goin' ter gather materials I did not expect you ter waltz right into an Acromantula nest tryin' ter take their silk webbin'!"

"FIRA! Kupopo… Hagrid just let me get rid of the ones following me and I won't touch the stupid silk anymore okay!"

"No Kagero don' kill Aragog's children!"

"THEY'RE ATTACKING US HAGRID KUPO JUST LET ME KILL THEM AND BE DONE WITH IT OR I'LL SET THIS STUPID FOREST ON FIRE!"

The students flinched as a screeching Acromantula scrambled it's way out of the Forest while still on fire, burning to ashes by the time it reached them. Most of them stood still out of shock, along with a very horrified Umbridge, who had been the closest to the dead Acromantula, the remaining stray embers that floated about having turned her clipboard to ash as well.

By then, the noise in the Forest quieted down, and the trudging noise of Hagrid making his way out sounded, while the squeaky voice muttered, "Stupid spiders and their selfishness, kupe! I'm not even going to bother forging equipment out of their dumb webbing. Stupid thing isn't even non-flammable!"

Of course, everyone was straining to see who Hagrid's companion was. There was no second set of footsteps rustling the grass. Instead, there was the soft beating of very small wings. And as the two came into view, the students simply stared in shock. While Hagrid was slightly singed, it was the tiny creature that flapped its wings next to him that had caught their attention.

Though its body was covered in a black trench coat, its most distinct features were still there. Narrowed eyes, large pink nose and tiny ears set on a white, plush-like head. A pair of tiny, bat-like wings. And perhaps the most distinct was the large red ball of fluff that was attached to its head by an antenna.

It only took one moment for the girls to take in the creature's cute appearance to begin squealing in delight.

"Kupo?" Its head tilted cutely before it turned to Hagrid, "I'm guessing we were late for class?"

"Professor what is it?" Lavender asked, surprised that it could talk. Hermione nodded, she too was curious about the little critter.

Instead of Hagrid replying, a voice rang out, certainty in his voice, "It's a Moogle."

Everyone turned their head towards the voice, and blinked when they saw Draco taking a few steps forward with a smirk on his face. The 'Moogle' seemed to perk up doing a little flip in the air before it exclaimed, "Thirteenth?! You're here, kupo! And is that the Fourteenth with you?!"

Hermione and Daphne both squeaked in shock when Tracey was the next to respond, mirth in her eyes, "Hello again Kagero! It's been years!"

"So it has, so it has, kupo! It's nice to see my favourite customers after so long! Elmina and Stiltzkin had been so worried when you two disappeared, kupopo!" Kagero said, the fluff bobbing up and down.

"I see you two know my friend 'ere!" Hagrid laughed.

"But Professor Hagrid… Just what… is he?" Umbridge asked.

"Actually, I'm no' too sure. Kagero's species is completely new ter me, and I only met 'im while on my way back from my break in the mountains," the half giant mused.

"Perhaps I can explain my kind a little better, kupo. After all you did suggest I take this lesson, Hagrid," Kagero said.

Everyone blinked in surprise. Hagrid had gotten them an unknown creature for this class? What more, one capable of human speech?

"Kupo. We Moogles are a clan who will pop up in the darndest places. No one knows what we are, and honestly kupo? Even we don't know! Our distinct feature is our red 'pompom' and bat-like wings, which you'll find on all Moogles despite occasionally species variants! And we love Kupo Nuts! Though I'm not too sure they grow here, kupo…" Kagero said.

Tracey then took over the explanation, "However, any Moogle worth a bean will be more than glad to take items off your hands—or better yet, put them IN your hands after lightening your wallet."

" _Though I swear Kagero swindled some of us at one point…_ " Draco muttered.

"Wait, are you traders?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Kupopo, that's one of our professions! We are traders, craftsmen, blacksmiths, potioneers! Sell us any material you have and we'll start supplying you with weapons, armour, accessories, and potions for a price, kupo!" Kagero explained.

"Do you have a permit to even sell those items?" Umbridge asked, a smirk on her face.

"…" Kagero stared at the woman before stating, "Moogles need no permit to set up shop, kupo. We go where the World wants us to be, and know when disaster is about to come. And trust me, you want me here, kupo. Monsters that I know you wizards never encountered before are waking up, and they are troublesome to deal with, kupopo."

She huffed, "Well, I'm the Undersecretary of the Minister of Magic. I doubt disaster will occur, the Wizarding World is at peace! And I'm very sure that creatures such as you are not allowed to even have a job."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Harry asked, smirk evident on his face.

"Oh? Do you know something, Mister Potter?"

"Just that Moogles are very adept in wandless magic, and an angry Moogle is very powerful and very dangerous Moogle. I'm sure you don't wish to end up like that dead Acromantula," Harry hummed.

While Umbridge paled a little, Hermione blinked, surprised at Harry's knowledge, ' _All that fire? From that cute little thing? And how does Harry even know about this?!_ '

Kagero said, "You can ask me as many questions you want, kupo! As long as you help me advertise a little!"

Soon the rest of the class scrambled up to the Moogle, throwing out question after question with some of the girls petting the little critter. Hermione, shaking her confusion over Harry, Draco and Tracey's knowledge on Kagero's kind off, decided to sate her own curiosity by asking her own questions.

* * *

It was perhaps one of Hagrid's more peaceful lessons, full of questions and less of dangerous encounters. And even though Moogles were not curriculum standard creatures, Umbridge grudgingly accepted that the session was up to her standard compared to the previous one.

Most of the class had left for dinner, but Riku, Roxas and Xion had remained to chat with the Moogle.

"I was wondering, Kagero," Xion asked as she hugged the Moogle in her arms, "How do you still remember me?"

"It's not that easy to wipe the memories of Moogles, kupo. We are pretty much tied to the Worlds and their Hearts, going where there is conflict to provide much needed supplies, kupo. What a World's Heart remembers, we will remember in some way, Xion-sama."

She chuckled, "Well, at least I know that I won't be that easily forgotten by the Worlds."

Roxas then asked, "Kagero, do you still have my stuff?"

The Moogle nodded, "Kupo. I still have the materials and Munny you deposited with me before you attacked the Organisation. That was reckless of you, Roxas-sama."

Roxas twitched, "I know, Kagero! You don't have to keep telling me. You scolded me so many times for recklessly taking on Saix while breaking out, I don't need to hear more of your nagging!"

"I still think you haven't learnt your lesson, Roxas-sama," Kagero intoned. "Kupopo… I wondered why I woke up in this World of all places. And now I realise it's the World's way of telling me to keep you three alive, kupo."

"What do you mean Kagero? What are you doing here at Hogwarts anyways?"

"At first I came here because of Hagrid, kupo. He wanted to show me off, since my kind are pretty unknown, kupo. Then I realised that the World was waking up some very ancient and dangerous creatures, dangerous in the 'they will eat humans' sense. Kupo, plus, there have been a few signs of Heartless appearing. So I rushed to the closest place of magical education I could find, to quickly set up shop before they could begin to cause damage, kupopo."

The three looked at each other in shock. Voldemort coming back was one thing, but Heartless and monsters? That just left them even more unprepared, and Riku really doubted that any of the Wizarding spells would affect both enemies.

"Kagero, do you have any spell scrolls?" Riku asked, now panicking. He had not anticipated this happening, not at all, and if what Kagero said was true, he would have to alter all his lesson plans to include the elemental magic they wielded.

"Plenty kupo. Black Magic, White Magic, Time Magic, kupo, even Blue Magic that some Blue Mage sold me after he compiled his compendium of spells!" Kagero exclaimed. "I spent a large number of years collecting them in case disasters like this happened and the mages in the area were untrained in these spell types, kupo."

The trio sighed in relief. Glancing at each other Riku decided, "Lets inform the others about this. I think they really need to know and prepare for the worst."

"And the Theory Group?" Xion asked.

Roxas replied, "We should get them started on the difference between White and Black magic, plus the Tier 1 magic. Kagero, do you mind coming to help us teach?"

"Anything for you three, kupo, though the payment for the scrolls will come out of your savings."

Smiling as the short term plan came together, the three decided to head back to the Great Hall, but Kagero stopped them short.

"Wait kupo! I forgot to tell you something!"

"What's wrong?" Xion asked.

"Nothing's wrong, to be honest, but you might want to know that I have a limited supply of Phoenix Downs now, kupo!"

"Eh?" The three stared in surprised. They had heard of Phoenix downs before, from Cloud and the older warriors who often complained how they had to be more careful about managing their health in battle because the Moogles didn't have a supply in the Worlds they visited.

"I never supplied them to you in the past as you never really needed them, kupo. And none of the Worlds you visited had Phoenixes, kupo. But here? I managed to find a few Phoenix nests and activate the revival magic of the feathers I collected, kupopo!" Kagero cheered, twirling as it informed them.

"Wait, do you mean…?" Roxas began.

Kagero nodded, "Kupo! They are expensive now due to my limited stock, kupo, but if you can get a good supply of feathers from somewhere, I'll be able to drop the price to reasonable amounts, kupo!"

It was the first piece of good news they had in a long while. Raise and other types of revival magic was useful and all, but those took time to cast. And with silencing spells it would make it much harder to use such magic fast enough before the body began to decay.

"Thank you for telling us this Kagero! This is great news!" Xion said with a smile.

* * *

_Axel,_

_Do you remember Kagero from our time in the Castle? It's at Hogwarts! Kagero's opening shop there and needs phoenix feathers to supply Phoenix Downs to us. Are you willing to help collect some from Fawkes' nest and supply Kagero?_

_Roxas_

_PS. Heartless have been sighted by Kagero, be on guard. Also, keep an eye out for news about monster appearances. Kagero warns us that they may appear soon._

* * *

_Cloud, Zack,_

_We've got a problem. A problem I think you two would be more familiar with, from what I recall you telling Sora and I. A Moogle just arrived at Hogwarts and have warned us that monsters are waking up. I wasn't too sure about what it meant, but I'm guessing it's going to be the ones you've encountered before you both ended up in Radiant Garden. I'm going to need a list of what to possibly expect, including strengths and weaknesses. Kagero, the Moogle, also warned us about Heartless sightings. Please be careful when dealing with them._

_Kagero, the Moogle, is willing to supply us with anything you might need, so send me a list of supplies. I'll try and procure them from it._

_Riku_

_PS. Kagero may supply Phoenix Downs sometime soon. I'll keep you updated._

* * *

_Roxas,_

_That swindler is at Hogwarts right now? Tell Kagero it had better pay me back for those feathers! It cheated me when I bought some of my Elixirs! Anyways, I'm not sure if it sells any of these but get me bunch of Bomb Arms, the Parting of Waters and Icebreaker rings will you? I really need to negate that water/ice weakness I have somehow. Oh, and some potions and panaceas! If possible, Echo Herbs as well (I heard those work really well.)?_

_Axel_

_PS. What's this about monsters and Heartless?_

* * *

_Riku_

_We'll try and keep a look out. There have been a few reports of strange unheard off cries coming from some of the off shore magical reserves, according to Charlie. And strange warbles on some open farm lands near Godric's Hollow? I think Cloud is off to investigate that particular rumour, knowing him. Oh, and maybe get me and Cloud a few potions and ethers, maybe remedies? I'm really not sure what this Moogle friend of yours has in stock…_

_Zack_

_PS. Cloud managed to make a short compendium of what he could recall about the monsters of Gaia. Please don't tell me you plan on teaching your group how to combat them…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strange place to end the chapter, isn't it?
> 
> The Moogle name and gender had been decided on FFn via poll, including review votes. Most people liked Kagero (24 votes) with Elmina coming in a close second (20 votes), and the gender had gone to the default gender of male… but quite a few of the reviewers wanted the Moogle as Agender.
> 
> And I realised that I kinda agreed. So Kagero the Agender Moogle from the World that Never Was!
> 
> But really, Kagero's a character that I kinda planned a long while ago while this fic was still 10 chapters old. I just never got a chance to name him. Oh and the supplies Kagero has? Parts of it are going to be Final Fantasy/Bravely Default (Been playing Second. It's fun~!) items, parts of it are going to be items that are available in 358/2 Days.
> 
> And this is for a good reason: Stiltzkin. I think most of you remember him as the Travelling Moogle that gives you special deals on some items in FFIX. He's mentioned in this for the fact that he mans the shop in the World that Never Was during KHII. And because of his forays in other Worlds, he has a much larger stock of items to share with his fellow Moogles to sell.
> 
> Now… as for the 'Teach the DA Tier 1 magic' thing… You'll have to wait and see since that event is post-Christmas break. We'll be back in canon territory next chapter, so hopefully I'll be able to write it out.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave a comment as per norm, and thanks for reading!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover
> 
> Extra: If you guys were wondering about the original names I had wanted for the moogle i.e. Kagero, which was chosen, and Mogan, here's the reason I decided on them.
> 
> Kagero, because Kage can mean shadow, thus a link to the Organisation. Kagero itself means Heat Haze, a shimmering in the air near the ground that distorts distant views due to a hot atmosphere, 'a distortion of the truth about the Organisation's purpose'.
> 
> Mogan was because I wanted a link to England's myths. The origin name is actually Morgana. That and Morgan is the name of Robin's daughter in Fire Emblem Awakening, who wore a dark coloured cloak. I just removed letters to make it form Mogan. Mog as part of the name is a staple of Moogle characters.


	28. Magic and Emergencies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the AN at the end of the page. It explains my absence for the past few months.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own…

_**Chapter 21: Magic and Emergencies** _

"Fred, your stance is off today! You are only going to trip on your robes if you try to dodge!"

"Neville, have more confidence in yourself, stuttering only makes it harder to cast quickly!"

"Colin please stop casting Aguamenti and focus on the task at hand!" "But Harry I like using this spell!" "And your other spells suffer because you fail to practice them as often! Now give me a Protego before your partners cast!"

It was the last day of the term, and the last practice session they would have for a while. Thus, Riku was taking the time to review the main spells he needed them to focus on: Disarming, Shield, Stunning, Impediment, and Reductor.

Of course, not many were happy with the prospect… and the resulting discussion did put them back on their review for over an hour…

" _Okay," Riku said, calling them all to order. "I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break —"_

" _We're not doing anything new?" said Zacharias Smith, in a disgruntled whisper loud enough to carry through the room. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come..."_

" _We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," said Fred loudly._

_Several people sniggered. But Riku instead looked towards Zacharias and inquired, "Would you rather I start on what I have planned next term?"_

_That had everyone pause and look curiously at their teacher. Riku smirked_

" _Because we won't be practicing any new spells until I can hammer in all the theoretical concepts of this class of spells."_

" _Wait what?! Harry you didn't mention any of this when we were making plans for the lessons last night!" Hermione yelped. "And didn't you say yourself, there isn't time to be going over theory anymore?!"_

" _Oh? Then can you tell me what are the differences between White and Black Magic?" Riku asked, amused._

_Ron scoffed, "That's easy, White magic is good, Black magic evil."_

_Riku laughed, "And that is wrong on so many levels!"_

_That had everyone but Namine, Roxas and Xion look at him, confused._

" _The issue here is how I worded it. I said_ _ **White and Black**_ _magic_ _ **.**_ _Not_ _ **Light and Dark**_ _. Based on the system of classification here, yes magic that is Light is considered good, while Dark magic is considered evil and banned. But there is a major difference when it comes to White and Black Magic," Riku explained._

_Everyone then began to chatter in confusion. What difference was there? Color? Method of casting? Intention? The Ravenclaws were the most curious, many searching through their memories for any mention of such magic classification. It was Hermione who put it together though._

" _Harry, when you say White and Black magic… Do you mean spells like_ **Fira** _?" She asked. It had bothered her. That spell, muttered by her friend's godfather and the visitor to the castle. Both in regards to a fire spell that was not listed in any book she could find. It couldn't have been a simple coincidence could it?_

_The smile on Riku's face told it all._

" _ **Fira**_ _– A Tier 2 Fire Spell, Element Fire. Class, Black Magic," He declared in response. Turning to a dummy, he murmured a quick 'Fira' and threw the summoned fireball from his hand onto said dummy causing it to burst into flames. The Room was quick to vanish the burnt doll and replace it._

_And the room burst into chatter once more._

" _That was Black Magic you say?" Daphne voiced. "But it was more like an Incendio charm!"_

" _And how did you cast it wandlessly?!" Angelica gaped._

_Ignoring them, Riku continued on, "_ _**Aero** _ _– A Tier 1 Wind Spell, Element Wind. Class, White Magic."_

_This time it was Roxas' turn to cast at the dummy, causing the dummy to shake at the gust of wind, tiny cuts appearing on it, indicating that it was a damaging spell._

" _Finally,_ _ **Reflect**_ _– A Tier 1 Advanced Barrier Spell. Class, White Magic," Xion had cast_ _ **Fira**_ _at him the moment Riku spoke, and the fireball bounced off a barrier that shimmered briefly before returning to its invisible state, the fireball instead hitting a dummy._

" _But… I don't understand?" Hermione managed to ask in her shock. The rest of the room was just as dumbfounded._

" _You can't tell, can you?" Riku smiled, "You can't tell if they are good or evil, light or dark, because there's no such thing… Well… maybe the Elements Light and Dark are real, but still, Magic is magic. It's up to you whether you use it for good or evil."_

Riku did not give any explanation after that, letting the students come up with their own theories and explanations. It took a while to get them to stop talking and start practicing their spells however.

It was obvious they were distracted by the new piece of information he gave them. Some had stared at him for his surprising outlook on magic, only to get taken out by a spell and get scolded for being distracted. Some were obviously having issues getting the spell out, stumbling on their words.

The training task this time was simple – stun or disarm your partners while preventing your battle dummy from getting blasted by a Reductor curse. When the students were paying attention to what they were doing, improvement showed. _Protego_ shields were capable of taking the brunt of _Impedimenta, Stupefy_ and _Reducto_ spells easily. Disarming spells flung wands pretty far whenever possible. Reductor curses occasionally scorched the floor where the dummies were previously. Most were pretty good at dodging spells at this point as well.

Among those that had improved the most, Neville had definitely deserved some recognition. Despite the occasional lapse in confidence, he had managed a number of times to get at least a Disarming spell or Impediment jinx past Roxas' shields whenever he had to lower his Protego shields to attack, and while he did get jinxed or disarmed himself, it was obvious that he would try to dodge.

At the end of an hour, Riku called a halt, students sighing in relief as they lowered their wands and thanked their partners, some collapsing onto the soft grass that covered the floor of the courtyard.

"Most of you have improved a lot from when we first started practicing these spells" Riku said, giving an impressed smile to the group, "When we get back from the holidays we'll be starting on two things, Patronus Charms, and the basics to understanding White and Black Magic."

There was a murmur of excitement, particularly among the Seventh Years, since the Patronus Charm was notoriously difficult to cast. Others were warier about the prospect of learning a new form of magic.

"So as homework," Shouts of protests rose at that, but Riku continued on, "I am going to ask you to find three so called 'light' spells that can have offensive and occasionally lethal uses, and a two 'dark' spells that have non-offensive capabilities. This is to help you all understand that magic is magic."

Leaving them with that, Riku allowed the Room to unlock its door, the students leaving in the usual groups of twos and threes, most wishing Riku a Happy Christmas as they went. The only one left was Hermione, Roxas, Xion and Namine having decided to turn in early.

"So… White and Black magic is it?" She said, keeping her tone neutral, "I'm going to guess this has to do with why you changed last summer. In fact, I'm guessing Draco, Luna and Tracey know. Kagerō probably has something to do with it as well, since he seems to know the Fira spell."

Riku didn't say anything as he packed away the items that had fallen out of the shelves during training. Hermione sighed at his lack of response, "Fine. I promised I won't bother you about your changes until I am sure, and I intend to keep it. Just… give me some warning before you drop more surprises on me."

With that, Hermione left the Room.

Riku could only smile and hope she would figure it out soon. He did feel bad keeping everything a secret.

* * *

Waking up to a familiar red envelope dropped on his head in a flash of fire was not part of Riku's plans to start the day. In fact, Riku wasn't even sure if it was day yet, since the sun had definitely not risen. Carefully opening the envelope and reading its contents, Riku quickly bolted out of bed.

_Potter,_

_Dad is in St Mungo's. Found him bleeding out at the entrance of the Hall of Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries. Wounds match that of a large snake bite. Not sure if the bite was poisonous however. I've alerted Mum and the rest of my brothers, and I've sent a similar letter to Professor McGonagall. Mum has given Ginny, Ron and the twins permission to leave the school early. You're welcome to come along._

_Percy Weasley_

* * *

Receiving a letter in the middle of the night alerting her that Arthur Weasley had been injured while guarding the Hall of Prophecy had not been something Minerva McGonagall expected. She had not expected Percy Weasley to be the sender either, considering how her former Lion's relationship with his family had become strained. Dumbledore, once he read the letter from Percy, had been quick to confirm that Arthur had indeed been sent to St Mungo's with help from some of the former headmasters' portraits.

Heading down to the dorms to pick the Weasleys, Minerva was once again surprised by her Lions. Sitting in the Common Room changed and with their bags ready, the Weasley siblings were quick to ask if they were leaving. Potter was there as well, informing her that Percy had contacted him beforehand. Granger was still in her sleep wear, the worry evident on her face, knowing she would not be able to join them until later.

"I need you children to go to headquarters first," She instructed, ushering them into her office. "Molly is at St Mungo's waiting for news on Arthur, so the Burrow is empty at the moment. I rather not leave you without adult supervision, or in a place where Umbridge is easily able to find your whereabouts, so headquarters is the safest for now."

As the last of the children tossed the Floo powder and entered the Floo, a loud rapping on her door and an irritatingly familiar cough sounded, alerting her to the fact that the so called professor had caught on that something had happened. Smothering the flames, Minerva steeled herself and got ready to misdirect any questions related to what happened.

* * *

The next morning, Neville woke to three envelopes on his bed with a single note stuck to them.

_Neville,_

_I need you to pass these letters to Draco, Tracey, and Luna. There was an emergency and we had to leave in the middle of the night. I trust you with this._

_Harry._

_P.S. Get a new wand. You've improved, but you'll do much better with a wand made for you. Tell your grandmother about what's going on at Hogwarts as well. I expect she will disapprove of the toad._

* * *

_Destiny/Tide/Wave_

_Had to leave early. Flame's father was attacked. Destiny and Tide need to stay down a little more this winter break, but make sure none of the Snakes tattle to their Master._

_Also find news on monster sightings. Wave, you have the best source, check with your father. I'll be checking in with Zack and Cloud to confirm which monsters to expect and their weaknesses. Alert all sentient magical creatures of the World Awakening. Contact the goblins if you must, ask for Griphook and tell him that I sent you. The goblins have the most extensive information network among sentient creatures anyways._

_Keep an eye out for Heartless as well, especially you Destiny. I don't know if you plan on returning this Christmas, but if you do, be careful. Take out any Shadows you see before they start creating Emblem Heartless._

_I'll be preparing lesson plans for next semester. Focus will be Patronus, White and Black magic, and Weapons combat. Keep in contact._

_Way to Dawn._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Well… I kinda promised this chapter five months ago, but I've been having a lot of issues with real life lately. I've been terminated from my university course and the past three months have been spent dealing with the fallout with my family, and reapplying for a new course. It sucks. And I was in a really depressed mood for the entire time. Like I had no energy, was apathetic to almost everything, broke down into tears a little too often for my liking and was in hysterics for quite a long time. Even now I'm still pretty apathetic about life.
> 
> Its… frustrating to deal with so many failures. I don't take failure well. Once I fail, it really affects my self-esteem. I can no longer see any positives in studying in the course I wanted to do. Even now, when applying for a new course, I can't help but see "what ifs". I can't go to my parents about issues like this. My dad has a "So what?" mindset, and so do most of my friends, and brushes off the problem. My mother is understanding, but at the same time, she just doesn't see. I honestly know I haven't been okay in a long time, but my pride also gets in the way too much to ask for help.
> 
> Writing this fic brought me so much joy and happiness. It's one of the few successful things in my life, one of the few things that keeps me going. My parents don't see that. They see writing and fanfiction as a distraction, trash, garbage. It's true its distracting, but I feel no passion for life. Immersing myself in my writing and talking to you all on this site is really what keeps me going, keeps me excited. I smile whenever I see someone review asking for an update. I smile whenever someone asks to use the ideas I have.
> 
> I actually hope that once I finish this new course I'm applying, I can take up a proper literature course. Writing is my passion, my joy. And I really, really, want to get out of this damn state I am in.
> 
> Enough about my issues. I'll be giving you all two chapters. One is this one, covering an alternate telling of how Arthur Weasley is found since the Horcrux is gone, the other, which I will post in a short while, is an ItB I wrote months ago that has something special…
> 
> Love you guys, leave a comment and I hope I didn't bore you all!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	29. In the Background 6: Names and Symbols

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you all didn't read last chapter, please go back and read that first before coming to read this one!
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own!

_**In the Background 6: Names and Symbols** _

"Odd," Zack muttered as he stared at the wall in front of him. With Arthur at St Mungo's, and Molly there waiting for him, Headquarters was suddenly devoid of the noise and movement Molly provided while cleaning it. It did not help that Cloud was in Romania speaking to Charlie regarding some monster sightings, and the rest of the Order having their own duties and jobs to keep up with. While waiting for Riku and the Weasley siblings to arrive, Zack had, out of boredom, decided to take a look at the family tree, and found something worrying.

Ever since he had returned to his childhood prison, he had the strangest sensation that something had changed with the wall containing the Black family tree, which included quite a few of the other Pureblood clans as well. His mother had been adamant on keeping track of their connected families if only to rage on them if one of them stained the purity of their family tree. Scorch marks were easily seen on the Potter and Weasley portions of the family tree, Zack noting that it had mostly been on James and Lily's part.

What Zack found odd was the worrying addition to one of his cousins' trees. Specifically, Bellatrix. Right underneath her name was another name, indicating that Bellatrix had at least produced a heir during the war. It wasn't greyed out, which meant that they were still alive. However, in place of the picture which would have shown the child's appearance, was a symbol of two halves of a gear arranged in an "S" shape, black and foreboding.

That wasn't the only symbol that appeared on the family tree. Next to his own blasted off image was the Buster Sword, next to Draco Malfoy's image was an odd silver X shaped symbol, next to Percy Weasley's was a strangely designed chakram, in blazing red, Riku's part of the tree had a strange symbol as well, violet colouring it. Further along the Malfoy part of the family tree, Zack froze when he spotted a pair of symbols under greyed out pictures and names, scorch marks on them, hiding them from view. The first was an angular heart with a sharp cross at its base, metallic green in colour. The second was a silver crown emblem. Once again, there were no faces to go along with them, similar to Bellatrix's child.

Zack worried. It was obvious that the unknowns were reincarnations just like him and Cloud. But for one to be his insane cousin's heir? It had to be bad luck or something.

Either way, Zack took note of his cousin's heir's name, hoping that when they finally met, they would not be enemies.

_Crovus Lestrange, I wonder what changes will you bring with you._

Zack did, however, wonder what the two missing names were, and what their relation to the Malfoy family was...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really short ItB, but I think most of you know who the symbols represent or who they are connected to. I would direct you to Namine's ItB if you are wondering who got reincarnated. Here are the family relations! Crovus won't be getting his first official appearance until the end of the fifth book however. Poor guy stuck in an insane family. The two 'Unknown' Malfoys on the other hand... well... they'll be appearing in an Observers chapter some time in the future. *Grins*


	30. Red-Headed Musings, Hospital Visits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems like I get more inspired when I'm stressed irl. On other news, my course change to Psychology was a success, and I'm still allowed to study in the uni I'm in.
> 
> Also, I wrote most of this while listening to the Hikari Ray of Hope Remix

_**Chapter 22: Red-Headed Musings, Hospital Visits** _

When Ronald Weasley was shaken out of bed by a panicking Harry Potter, his first reaction was to sleepily snarl at his former friend, only for Potter to punch him in the eye and shove an already opened letter into his face, shouting about how it was not the time for them to be fighting. Reading the contents of the letter from Percy had him sharing Harry's panic, and had him rushing to get the rest of his siblings out of bed. In the time waiting for Professor McGonagall to arrive and heading to Grimmauld's Place early, Ron had slowly gathered his thoughts, pouring over all the changes that happened in the past few months in an effort to avoid thinking about his father's current condition.

Ron was not the brightest tool in the shed. He knew that he was easily blinded by greed and was extremely prejudiced against anything Dark or related to Slytherin. Ron knew perfectly well that Harry's quiet denouncement of their friendship in favour for the bloody Snake Draco Malfoy had been a long time coming, especially ever since he blew up at Harry the previous year, and especially considering Ron _had_ been receiving payments from Dumbledore out of Harry's own vault for reporting to Dumbledore about Harry.

There was the key word: 'had'. In all honesty, Ron had, not long after that unofficial first meeting regarding the recently named 'Magical Theory' study group, informed Dumbledore that he was quitting. Harry denouncing him as his friend had only cemented his decision to stop. (He was still upset that Ginny had not stopped. It was as if all she could see was Harry and his status. Ron on the other hand, just wanted his first friend back, even if that friend had been made on orders.)

However, just because he was no longer under Dumbledore's orders anymore, it did not mean Ron was stopping his observations on Harry, especially considering how much he had changed. Ron had seen how close not only Harry, but Hermione had become with the Slytherins. He had seen how Gryffindor had kind off benefited from the truce, since it meant that there was less hexing each other in the hallways, and less points being taken off by either Professor McGonagall or Professor Snape for instigating any fights. He had seen how Harry and Malfoy fought, but still remained friends at the end of the day due to the strange trust and friendship the both had that Ron had observed on that day on the train.

Ron had still voiced his dislike for the Snakes, but as he practiced with some of them during their illegal DADA training, he had come to tolerate them. Greengrass was a stuck up princess, but she was capable of keeping up with Hermione's train of thought, much to his horror. Davis' head was often in the clouds, but the one time he did talk to her during practice, he found himself exchanging ideas on tactics and strategies, and somewhat admiring her for her Lion like courage, standing up to Umbridge during that first DADA lesson. Ron didn't really have an opinion on Nott and Zabini, but he did admit that they were particularly loyal to Malfoy. And Malfoy… Ron had to admit the bloody prick knew what he was doing, and the sudden rebellion against his father took a lot of courage to pull off.

Then came Harry's opinion on magic. Ron had immediately fallen back on his assumptions of what magic should be classified as, not paying attention to the wording. Knowing that Harry had somehow learnt a completely new branch of magic, one that had different beliefs and different casting methods was a shock. As was Harry giving them homework to find spells that could be used for a purpose other than its supposed use. It was as if Harry was determined to crush all the beliefs they had about magic and turn it on its head.

As Ron tumbled out of the Fireplace, he quickly pushed all thoughts about Harry away and let his worry for his father take over, quickly standing up to question Sirius about his father's condition. The changes Harry brought about could wait. Family came first, and he was glad that Percy had informed them about this.

Come to think of it, why had Percy been in the Ministry that late at night?

* * *

It was less of Percy being there late at night and more of Axel having planned to quietly raid the Department of Mysteries for information that night. Riku's information about Kagerō's appearance had him wondering if the Moogle appearing was an isolated incident and Axel had decided that perhaps the Unspeakables had some research in relation to it.

Turns out it had not been an isolated incident. Axel had found that ever since Xion woke up, reports had been coming from all corners of the world, regarding strange, invisible creatures appearing in magic rich locations and scaring the local wildlife, from the spiritual forests of Japan to the active volcanoes of certain island chains. The research departments of their overseas counterparts had been working non-stop to cover up what was happening.

A few related research reports, however, had Axel freeze in fear. The Veil of Death, according to reports, had been emitting strange black mist ever since the Second Wizarding War began. Occasionally the mist would gather to form a dark dome, before dissipating, as if it could not hold its form. Sometimes researchers found a pair of bright yellow orbs peering out eerily, quite chittering echoing from the Veil before fading away. Sometimes, and this report was dated to when they first used the Veil for executions, a pink light flashes briefly after a few moments of a wizard passing through the Veil, before vanishing just as quickly. Gathering the papers in hand, Axel immediately rushed to confirm the findings.

Axel had hurriedly made his way to the Death Chamber, only to have his fears confirmed. Sitting in the middle of the arch was a Corridor of Darkness. The so called Veil of Death was a Corridor of Darkness that had been kept open for who knows how long. With a flick of his wrist and a flash of light, the Blazing Bonds appeared in his hand, gripping the familiar handle shaped like his chakram. It had been a while since he summoned his Keyblade, the last time having been not long after he regained his full memories, testing to see if he was still capable of summoning one. The tongue of flames that shaped the blade glowed at the tip as Axel pointed it at the Corridor, gathering Light in order to force the Corridor of Darkness close.

An echoing yell of pain interrupted him, and Axel, for fear of being discovered, quickly dismissed the Keyblade and created his own Corridor of Darkness to warp him out of the Chamber, closing it behind him quickly. Coming out in the hallway near the entrance to the Hall of Prophecy, his eyes widened as he watched as the tail of a large snake slither away as pained groans echoed nearby. Quickly making his way to the victim, Axel paled when he saw familiar red hair, and quickly moved to assess his father's wound. A large enough bite wound to require medical attention, and Axel was unsure if the snake had been poisonous. The most he could do was cast an Esuna to take care of any toxins, Stopga to halt time around his father long enough to bring him to St Mungo's without him bleeding out, and Tergeo to clean up any evidence of his father's presence in the Department of Mysteries.

Soon after his father was admitted, Axel gathered some parchment, preparing to send a few missives to his family. He would inform Riku of his discoveries when he arrived.

* * *

_Thursday, 19_ _th_ _September  
St Mungo's Hospital, 1_ _st_ _Floor_

Riku sighed as he barely paid attention to the chatter produced by the visitors and patients alike, making his way to Arthur's ward with the rest of the Weasley family.

The night before had been near chaos, what with Arthur Weasley being hospitalised while working on a task for the Order. Zack had had a hard time calming the siblings down, but Molly's arrival bringing news that their father had stabilised had them sigh in relief and agree to wait till morning for the visit.

Of course, the next morning, the rest of their baggage arrived. Luckily Arthur had the sense to get his kids decent modern wear, otherwise they would have stood out. Mad-Eye and Tonks were following them, having arrived earlier that morning to hear their plans.

The entry to the hospital had been interesting enough. The building itself was a run-down department store that had originally been closed for refurbishing, and like the Ministry, the actual entrance was hidden. This time it was one of the store mannequins.

Halting outside of the ward, Tonks turned towards them and said "We'll wait outside, Molly, Arthur won't want too many visitors at once… It ought to be just the family first."

Mad-Eye growled his approval of this idea and set himself with his back against the corridor wall, his magical eye spinning, gaze lingering in Riku's direction, then in the direction of the ward, before settling to observe the rest of his surroundings.

It was only when Molly opened the door to the ward that Riku understood why the auror's gaze had lingered on the ward. Standing in the room, oblivious to the visitors and the other patients, was Axel, yelling at his father. Arthur himself sat in the bed reading the Daily Prophet, a bemused smile on his face as he listened to Axel rant.

Ron, the twins and Ginny all watched bewildered. This was the first time they ever saw their uptight older brother let loose his temper, particularly on Ron and Ginny's part. Even more confusing to the youngest two was how their father was just sitting there and taking the verbal abuse, smiling as if Axel never decide to join the Ministry.

Molly on the other hand, took Axel yelling at her husband in a different way, and instead began berating Axel for disrespecting his father.

All in all, it was an extremely amusing sight to see. Except… Axel's hot headedness had him running his mouth.

"Merlin, Dad! If I hadn't been down there last night, no one would have found you until morning and you would have _bled to death_!"

At that, the other two patients in the ward looked up in confusion, and Mad-eye, who had been beckoned in sometime during Axel's ranting, narrowed his eye while his magical one focused directly on him at the statement.

Moody was quick to cast a _Muffliato_ , before questioning Axel, "Why the bloody hell were you in the Department of Mysteries in the first place? The Ministry is usually empty when we send our guard down there, so what were you doing there last night?"

Axel instead shut his mouth and glared at the scarred auror. Deciding not to answer, Axel stalked out of the ward, but not before passing a single note to Riku, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Moody. Before the auror could ask the room once again descended into chatter as Molly began fussing over her husband and the siblings began questioning their father.

"So Dad, what happened anyways?" Ron asked.

Arthur sighed, "You kids probably know that I was Order business when I was in the Department of Mysteries right?"

A round of nods, with Fred replying, "Yeah. Percy sent a letter to Harry about you being down there…"

"And we kinda inferred that you were there because of the Order," George finished.

"Well… I dosed off while I was there…" Arthur laughed sheepishly, "It had been a pretty long day at work, and I ended up getting bitten by a snake in the process. Thankfully your brother was there."

"So what did the healers say?" Molly asked.

"Well, I won't be able to leave for a while, that's for sure," he mused. "The healers had found trace amounts of an unknown snake venom in the wound, the kind that causes uncontrollable bleeding. Most of it had been purged before I arrived apparently, which was why I didn't bleed to death. They're just keeping me here to make sure I won't start bleeding all over the place, and to try and come up with an antidote."

Riku blinked. But that would have meant that Axel healed Arthur before taking him to St Mungo's beforehand, especially since the venom was an unknown kind.

"So Dad, do you think the attack would be publicised?"

"Fred, we didn't report the attack," Molly said.

"Eh? But why not?" Ginny asked confused.

"Percy apparently gave the healers a more believable story – a large snake of an unknown species attacking me in the fields surrounding the Burrow, and Percy just so happened to be visiting home at the same time. He'll probably give the same story to the Ministry when he goes to make the report," Arthur explained.

Mad-eye gave a nod of approval, "At least the boy has the decency to keep things secret even if he isn't working for the Order. But I still wonder, what the hell was he even doing down there in the first place…"

Silence descended over the family as they pondered over the question. Then Tonks broke it when she poked her head into the room and informed them, "Harry's left the room."

That prompted them to notice that indeed, the silver haired teen had left the room without their notice.

* * *

_St Mungo's Hospital, Visitor's Lounge_

"So, what was it that you needed to talk to me about, Axel?"

"The real reason I was down in the Department of Mysteries."

"Oh? Did you find anything?"

"Quite a bit actually. For one thing, Kagerō's information seems accurate. There were many reports in regards to invisible monster sightings, most of them centred around magical reserves or magic rich locations. The Ministry has been doing their best to cover it up, but considering the reports were coming from overseas branches as well… They've started closing the areas to prevent visitors now."

"It's to be expected. Cloud will probably come back with more detailed information soon. Zack said he left to check in with your brother in Romania."

"There were sightings?"

"Yeah."

"Hope he stays safe. I know my brother can handle dragons, but we haven't dealt with creatures like the ones Zack and Cloud faced in their original world."

"Other than that, anything else?"

"I found an open Corridor of Darkness in the Death Chamber. It's the Veil of Death."

"What?!"

"I also managed to nick the reports in regards to it. Heartless have been sighted within it, but they haven't left the Corridor yet. Don't know why they haven't tried, but it could be because some executions use the Veil. Shadow Globs have also formed outside of the Corridor on occasion, but those dispelled quickly apparently."

"Have you closed it yet?"

"Not yet. Dad was attacked when I was about to close it with my Keyblade."

"Guess that's another thing on our to-do list, and it also confirms that Kagerō's sightings of Heartless were not isolated incidents."

"If that's all, I need to go and file a proper report of what happened to the Ministry."

"I'll check in with you later. Keep us informed about the situation in the Ministry, okay?"

"Got it memorised."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you all can see from the first paragraph, this is the start of a very long Ron-redemption subplot. There are a total of four subplots in the story as a whole – the new Prophecy, Hermione's research, Axel/Lea's Ministry infiltration and Ron's redemption. With exception to the Prophecy, which has ties to main plot anyways, Hermione's and Ron's subplots will not span the entire story, while Axel's infiltration will have relevance in book 6 onwards.
> 
> Axel's infiltration will go on for a pretty long time. This is probably the first of several incidents that he'll break his cover.
> 
> As for the Veil of Death being a Corridor of Darkness… Who saw that coming?
> 
> Anyways, if some of you have visited my profile on desktop site of Fanfiction.net, you might have noticed that there is a poll up now on which fic I should update next OTHER THAN CtDRitL (I will still try and update this as frequently as I can in any case), Never They Cannot (I need to get the next part done. Not now tho.), Seraph Reset (WHICH WILL BE UNDER GOING OVERHAUL SOON. FUCK U FERID AND MAHIRU! Oh, and curse you Vampire Mechanics.), Magical Generation (Lost so much interest.), and A Different Kind of Death Game (I'm hoping that the Alicization Arc manga will kinda push me to write a chapter. It's not going well.). So go there and give it a vote! Only three people voted so far and I need more than that!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter! Leave a comment before you go!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	31. Memory and Gifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. If you've been wondering where I've been at since last year's update… well.
> 
> EVERYWHERE. Here's a list:
> 
> Work, school, catching up on the season's anime, writing for other fandoms, playing pc ported games now that I actually have the money to buy said games from Steam, etc. Like I said. Busy.
> 
> The main causes of 'busy' were my part-time job during the school semester, and then games outside of that. I had a TON of games I've only heard things about or seen gameplay about that I really wanted to try, and I actually spent a lot of time playing them (Specifically I spent hours on end finishing Berseria and then playing Nier:Automata and then FFXIII and then WOFF.).
> 
> Then there were the issues I had with writing this chapter. The latter portion was something I wrote up back in JULY as part of the whole of Chapter 23. The problems came from the first half of the chapter – I kinda didn't like where I was taking the tone of the chapter and was struggling to figure out what to do for months, so I scrapped the first bit at the end of last month and redid it.
> 
> Hopefully, it turned out alright. There's a bit of a surprise at the end of this chapter, and I hope I didn't make anyone upset with how long it took to write this chapter. (Hopefully the next one won't take too long.)

_**Chapter 23: Memory and Gifts** _

Coming to St Mungo's was never a happy event for Neville. The hospital was always a reminder that his parents would never heal, never snap out of their Crucio induced insanity, a reminder that they never got to see him grow up. It was a time when his grandmother would unwittingly compare his inadequacies with his father, leaving him guilt ridden and demoralised. It was a time that always left him slightly jealous of the Boy-Who-Lived, whose parents had been spared from suffering, who didn't have that false hope that he would wake and his parents would be with him again, who didn't have to deal with the responsibilities forced on him by overbearing relatives.

Then again, Neville did pity his friend, that the last memory he had of his parents had been their death. And he was thankful that they were even friends, always there to give courage to those in need of it. And this year was slightly different in many ways.

Sitting next to his sleeping mother's bed while his grandmother looked over his father, Neville began quietly telling her about the things that had happened. The things that had changed over the past year. About his improvement with magic, about the silent war against their DADA professor, about the changes that was happening among his friends, and aloof allies. Harry had after all changed a lot in the summer before their fifth year. A little too much, if Neville had to say anything about it. Draco Malfoy, his former bully, had surprisingly declared a truce with Harry, though some might say that their rivalry had intensified.

He was then startled, when familiar voices echoed in the ward.

"Hello, Harry. Visiting Lea's family?"

"Luna! Don't scare me like that, and how'd you… Never mind, I'm not surprised. But it is strange to see you here. I thought you'd be back at Hogwarts?"

"I'm here to see a mutual friend of ours. I had been hoping to confirm something for him today. He needs it."

"Confirm what?" Harry's silver hair came into view and green eyes caught sight of Neville, then his sleeping mother. "Oh."

"Hi Harry, Luna," Neville quietly greeted. His grandmother was looking in their direction now… which was either a good or bad thing.

Harry actually looked abashed, "Damn it. I'm sorry for this Neville, I should have remembered that your parents were…"

"Friends of yours, Neville, dear?" interrupted Neville's grandmother graciously, bearing down upon them all.

Neville sighed, knowing it was apparently inevitable. "Grandmother, this is Harry Potter, and Luna Lovegood. Harry, Luna, this is my grandmother, Lady Augusta Longbottom."

Finally noticing the faded-out scar on his friend's forehead, his grandmother stuck out a shrivelled hand for Harry to shake. "Yes, yes, I know who you are, of course. Neville speaks most highly of you."

"Thank you," Harry said, shaking her hand. Neville shuffled with pride and embarrassment, glaring at Harry when the other chuckled at his quiet discomfort.

"Yes, Neville's told me all about you and your friends. Helped him out of a few sticky spots, haven't you? He's a good boy," She said, before turning to Luna, "And you must be Xenophilius' child."

Luna simply curtsied, "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Longbottom."

"I do have to thank you, Mr Potter, for getting Neville to inform me of the falling standards in Hogwarts, and about the Ministry interference," his grandmother frowned. "I had been wondering why I had not been receiving letters from my grandson. And even then, I see that the Daily Prophet is as unreliable as ever with its reporting."

Neville smiled at that. It was rather rare that his grandmother lost her temper nowadays. His first day back at home found him telling her of the on goings in Hogwarts, of which, she immediately lost her temper. Asking her for a new wand was surprisingly easier as well, finally understanding that her pride had held her grandson back.

"You told your friends about your parents, Neville?" she asked.

Harry shook his head, "With what had happened last year, I accidentally found out about what happened to your son and his wife. It… explained your grandson's violent reaction to seeing the Cruciatus curse up close."

"And I'm glad you didn't say anything to anyone Harry," Neville said.

"Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of!" said Mrs. Longbottom angrily. "You should be proud, Neville, proud! They didn't give their health and their sanity so their only son would be ashamed of them, you know!"

"Neville doesn't seem ashamed of his parents' actions, Lady Longbottom," Luna interjected, to Neville's relief, and surprisingly understood his feelings on the matter. "If anything, I would think it's more he laments that his parents had to be subject to such a curse for his sake."

His grandmother sputtered, "Well, I…"

"So, what are you visiting for anyways, Luna?" Neville asked before his grandmother could recover, slightly confused by the blond's presence, and the reason she was in the long-term resident ward for Spell Damage in the first place.

The girl gave a mysterious smile, eyes twinkling as she replied, "To see if I can heal your parents."

Neville's eyes widened, while his grandmother's eyes darkened, angry and bitter, "Do you take us for fools, child? If no adult wizard could heal my son and his wife, what can you, and underage witch that has not finished her schooling, even hope to do?"

Harry, on the other hand, looked at their friend contemplatively, and asked, "How bad is the damage?"

Neville whirled to look at Harry and hissed, "Harry, what are you doing encouraging her?! If there was any form of magic that would heal my parents, they wouldn't be stuck here in the first place!"

Luna, on the other hand, had taken out her sketchbook of all things… and began drawing? Humming, Luna smiled as she replied, "Not as bad as I had originally expected. It shouldn't take me too long to fix. Their memories weren't altered like Sora's was or completely removed like some Obliviate victims are. Just disjointed to the point it seems like they don't remember."

Then she frowned, "The nerve damage is the main problem though. Potions and Panaceas have worked on nerve damage done by Thunder based spells, but nerve damage this old? It may work, but may require the stronger versions…"

Neville just stared as the already strange girl began quietly muttering to herself, somehow making  _sense_  for once, yet being confusing at the same time. His grandmother just scoffed, "What nonsense are you talking about, little girl. Neville, escort your 'friends' away from here!"

Sighing, Neville did so, with little protest from either of his friends, dragging them up to the tea room.

Sitting them down, Luna began humming as she started drawing. Neville on the other hand gave Harry a glare, "What exactly are you two up too? Damage from the Cruciatus curse is irreversible and yet you let Luna claim it is?! What gives you the right to give us this false hope!"

Harry's green eyes remained calm, as if amused at his loss of temper, but then sighed, "You've noticed the changes."

Neville frowned, "Of course I did. Everyone did. Hermione is the most adamant about finding out why.

Luna giggled, while Harry groaned, "Fine. I'll explain."

"A… friend of mine once had his memories altered. Events from his life changed in subtle ways that it seemed normal, and memories changed piece by piece…" Harry explained bitterly. "The one who altered his memories, owned up to her mistakes, and managed to, within a year, reverse the damage she had done to him. The type of magic she used was a very specialised type of memory magic, one that I doubt the wizarding world knows of."

"And yet, you know of this magic," Neville looked at his friend sceptically.

Harry chuckled, "Not me. Luna. She knows more about this type of magic than I do. In fact, from what I can tell, she's a practitioner."

Neville turned to the humming Luna as she drew, "Are you telling me that…?"

"She's gotten started healing your parents?" Harry smiled, "Yes. Sure, it may take some time, but they will recover."

Neville could only watch as Luna continued drawing and feel the tears well up as he began to smile. In the past, it would be due to him lamenting his parent's incurable state. But now? He had hope again.

Perhaps… this year's Christmas visit wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Riku sighed in exhaustion as he sat in his room. Encountering Namine in St Mungo's checking in on, and then begin her attempts to heal Neville's parents had been a bit of a surprise. Namine's ability to manipulate memories had once left a sour taste, considering the lives that ability had ruined in the process (As much as he knew Roxas and Xion returning to Sora had been inevitable, Riku still felt guilty about it.).

The quiet tap on the window was ignored as Riku continued to recall the day's events. Axel had paid another visit to Arthur's ward, and had promptly chewed out his father and the healer in-charge for trying to close the wound with stitches, a method that said healer wasn't even experienced in. Once Molly herself arrived and found out about the situation herself, she promptly sided with her estranged son and continued scolding the pair, much to Riku's amusement and the rest of the family's exasperation. And hours before that had been the rather annoying realisation that the house elf Kreacher worshiped Bellatrix Lestrange, and meeting Neville's parents and seeing them at last only strengthened his disgust for the woman.

Riku blinked when the tapping sound got louder. Looking around the room, Riku was surprised when he caught sight of a tawny owl tapping the window lightly. Opening the window to let it in, the owl gave a hoot as it dropped a letter, before perching on the window sill. Riku picked up the letter and stared when he spotted the name written on the envelop. It had not been addressed to Harry Potter. Rather, it had been addressed to  _Riku_. No one who knew Riku owned a tawny owl. Curious, Riku opened the letter to find a familiar scrawl, and as he began to read, his heart soared with joy.

_Hi Riku!_

_If you are reading this message, and I hope you do, Merry Christmas! I thought this letter would be a pretty good gift for you. I've been testing to see if Arthur (My owl) could deliver letters to you for the past couple of years. It hadn't worked, probably because you had not acknowledged the name 'Riku' as your own at the time. Something to do with you accepting the memories as yours, from what I've been told._

_Either way, I've missed you. I could remember everything about our past, ever since I was a child. Sometimes I'd remember the time you took that hit from Xemnas for me, or the time you closed the door to Kingdom Hearts from inside it. Those memories were often the worst. I hated seeing you get hurt or in pain… On the other hand, there were the happy memories. Remember when we were reunited in the World that Never Was and I started crying all over you? Yes, that counted._

_I haven't been all that lonely thanks to Ventus, but when he's your cousin as well as your professor at school, it's not easy confiding in him for a lot of things when he's mostly busy. Yeah, Ven's my cousin in this life! Isn't that cool? It's pretty amazing that we are reborn in a world of magic. Ven's teaching in Beuaxbaton, and like I said, I'm a student there! Learning magic and all that! It's so different from what Merlin or Master Yen Sid taught us. It's quite funny when people swear by Merlin's name here, since I know him._

_Again, I missed you, but I'm glad that we were reborn under the same sky. I hope I'll be able to meet you soon, and perhaps meet the rest of us who were reborn! Stay safe, and may the Keyblade guide your Heart._

_Love, Sora_

_P.S. Please for the love of Kingdom Hearts, stay out of trouble!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No end chapter AN today, since it's pretty straight forward. Hope you liked the surprise!
> 
> Leave a review or comment and I'll see you all next time!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover


	32. The Observers - To the Sky and Wind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COUGH COUGH SURPRISE ANNIVERSARY DOUBLE POST! HERE WE GO!

_**The Observers - To the Sky and Wind** _

Fleur Deaclour tried her best to keep from flinching as she walked through the halls of Beauxbaton. The jealous glare of the girls, and the lustful gaze of the boys normally would have slid off her back like water, but after the disaster that was the Triwizard Tournament, her nerves had been shot, and apparently, so had her control of her allure.

It was a blessing whenever she met someone who was oblivious to it. Like William, who had taken the time to teach her English while she in turn taught him French during their dates. And Harry, who never really asked for anything in return for the good deeds he had done. And strangely enough that Malfoy boy. And speaking of the Malfoys...

Fleur came to a halt in front of an ornate door, white as snow, carvings that resembled a gust of wind decorating it. Knocking the door, she announced, "Professor Malfoy? It's Fleur!"

"Ciel will you stop bugging me about England?! Fleur? You may come in!"

Fleur giggled when she walked into the room, spotting her brown haired, blue eyed, underclassman pouting petulantly at the young, blond and equally blue-eyed professor that was his cousin.

"'Lius, I'm telling you we need to move to England soon!" Ciel Malfoy continued, "You've seen signs of the World reawakening, England is going to be in the centre of it!"

"Ciel, I can't simply drop everything at once, quit my job here and move to England for your sake. And you know perfectly well the main branch of the family won't welcome us," Aeolius Malfoy replied, not looking up from his paperwork. A flick of his hand sent a gust of wind to shut the open door to his office.

It was one thing that always astounded Fleur. The sheer control over wind her former professor had, wandlessly commanding it to do his will.

Aeolius Malfoy, unlike his British relatives, was well respected in the French Wizarding Community not because of his money or his blood status, but because of his skill in magic. A Mastery in both DADA and Healing by the time he had turned 20, he was most well-known for his complete control over wandlessly and silently cast offensive wind magic and healing magic. Calm, cool and collected, he was the role model for all young French wizards, and held the title of Most Eligible Bachelor among the French witches.

Ciel Malfoy, on the other hand, was Aeolius' adorable little cousin. Cheerful, kind, and surprisingly competitive when it came to Quidditch, everyone loved Ciel for the simple fact that he was the light of Beauxbaton. He made friends with everyone, even those who would normally be his enemies. Sure, Ciel wasn't that good of a student when it came to written assessments, but he always made up for it with his sheer skill in practical assignments.

Ciel was also surprisingly good at elemental manipulation, for someone who, from what she knew, had a neutral affinity, unlike his wind aligned cousin. Fleur herself was of the fire affinity thanks to her Veela heritage, and even then, her ability to manipulate her natural element seemed less controlled compared to the unaligned Ciel.

Other than that, both were some of the few in Beauxbaton to not be affected by her allure. She treated Ciel like a second sibling, and Ciel in return did the same, and played with Gabrielle whenever her little sister visited. Aeolius was a confidant she could always go to whenever things got too exhausting in class.

(Ciel had also been the first and only male to ever ask to be her friend. Honestly, the rather innocent and sunny child had approached her out of the blue during his first year and his fifth year to ask just that, completely ignoring the allure, to the astonishment of everyone around her. She would have fallen for him if it weren't for the fact that Ciel had confided in her about his feelings for someone else.)

"Anyways, welcome back Fleur. I'm surprised you aren't at home with your sister for Christmas," Aeolius hummed, as he looked up to properly greet her. "Is something the matter?"

And he saw through her as always. Ciel on the other hand was grinning, "I heard from Gabrielle that you found some English gentleman who wasn't affected by your allure and liked you!"

Fleur huffed, "Ciel, why did you have to give it away?"

His blue eyes shone with delight, "Well, considering this person saw through your allure to see the beautiful heart you hold, I don't see the problem!"

Hearing the compliment Ciel gave made her blush. She was really blessed to have met William.

Aeolius smiled, "I'm guessing that you're here to ask me to teach you English?"

Fleur blushed, "Yes. I wish to be able to properly converse with him when I return to England, and to show him how much I improved."

Ciel blinked, "You're returning to England?"

She nodded, "The Minister said it was to improve the relationship between the French and English. Why do you ask?"

"You heard what I said earlier, right?" Fleur nodded, and Ciel continued, "I was telling Aeolius that we needed to move to England soon."

"Yes. I was wondering, what exactly are the reasons you need to head to England so soon?" she asked.

"Well... One of the reasons was the events that occurred during the Triwizard Tournament. The other was because of the news about new magical creatures appearing, which is rather worrying. But the truth is..." Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Ciel answered with a nervous grin, "Riku is somewhere in England right now."

"What," Aeolius said with a blank face.

'Riku? Is that the name of Ciel's...' Fleur frowned, "I thought you've been trying to contact him for years and it hasn't been working?"

His cousin started looking panicked, "Ciel, what did you do?"

"Umm... I just wrote my yearly Christmas letter to Riku? And Arthur came back without the letter for once? And the letter has a tracking charm?" Ciel responded nervously, bracing himself for his cousin's reaction.

"CIEL!" and her Professor reacted as expected.

"Aeolius, please!" Ciel begged. "Riku's going to be in the middle of whatever mess that will happen in England! You know he's going to need all the help he can get!"

Aeolius sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Look Ciel, I know you want to find Riku. I know. But as I said earlier, unless the main family has had a change of heart, we don't have allies in England we can stay with."

"But-!" Ciel protested.

"At least wait till the end of the school year, Ciel," Aeolius said, causing Ciel to blink in surprise. "I'm not saying that you can't go to England. I'm asking for you to give me time to request for a transfer for you, as well as to find you lodgings."

"So… you'll let me go to England next year?" Ciel's eyes widened into puppy eyes.

Fleur laughed as she watched Aeolius groaned a yes to the compromise and Ciel jump up and down cheering. It seemed like she would have someone she knew in England with her next year. The fires of her heart burned with delight, knowing that her junior will finally reunite with this Riku after so long.

She wondered, however, why the letter never reached Riku for all those years. And what had Ciel been referring to when he said the world was reawakening.

Shaking her head, Fleur smiled. Even if her instincts screamed at her that the balance of the world had tipped, that the epicentre would be in England, it didn't matter. Somehow, seeing the sky-blue eyes filled with hope and glint in happiness over the news that he would be able to see his friend again, was enough to give her hope that everything would turn out alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, while typing up this Observer chapter, Aeolius's nickname Lius, for some hilarious reason, got misstyped as Liusy, Liusiosois and others mainly due to a glitching out keyboard (May use them in the future. Particularly Liusy).
> 
> And another fun fact: To be honest – I forgot I wrote an observers chapter for Fleur much earlier, in fact it was two years ago. This one I wrote as I was writing Chapter 23. I ended up having to pick between the two versions I wrote. This one is more direct, while the other was a little subtler with its introductions. I… prefer this one for being a bit sillier. And for an anniversary chapter, I felt it should be a bit more light-hearted.
> 
> You probably guessed, this is the chapter where I introduce the names of the FINAL pair of reincarnations that everyone should be familiar with! I hope everyone is surprised by the heritage of these two! These past two chapters were not exactly plot relevant, but it was somewhat needed. As the events of Book Five start drawing to a close in the second semester, I needed to start preparing for events in the 6th Book. Hence the introduction here.
> 
> Fleur is interesting to write. Being a quarter Veela isn't fun. You have to deal with the jealousy of the girls and the lust of the boys. Finding someone who loved her for who she was AKA finding William/Bill, was pure luck, especially since if she never became the Beuaxbaton champion, she would never have met the Weasley Clan in the third task.
> 
> I hope this little surprise chapter made your day! Happy Valentine's Day as well! Leave a review before you go and I thank you for reading!
> 
> Kiri Kaitou Clover
> 
> (Oh gosh I just realised the irony of me posting a chapter on Fleur and Sora on Valentine's Day of all days)


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